Tag Archives: metalcore

New Music Mondays: Sublime, Koe Wetzel and More!

15th June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Another big week of new music, with plenty of awesome rock, metal and country for us to dive into!

Sublime: Until the Sun Explodes

An album three decades in the making, the band return to the studio for the first time since the 1996 death of iconic frontman Bradley Nowell. Now fronted by his son Jakob, honestly… man does he sound like his father. And, it’s exactly what I wanted from a return from the band. This is a full nearly hour of chilled out, fun and well written ska punk, and I loved every second. It’s also packed full of amazing songs, from the opener to the FIDLAR-featuring ‘Backwards’, ‘F.T.R.’ to ‘Evil Men’ to ‘Gangstalker’ to ‘Until the Sun Explodes’. And that’s certainly not all of them!

Can you tell I love this album yet? And it somehow goes by in a flash, not feeling like 57 minutes at all! The band have very much still got it, and I kinda hate that they are touting this as their last album. I know that was the sentiment about their self titled for years, so never say never I guess. However, if this is their last hurrah, what a way to go out. No matter what you are into, give this a listen, you’re sure to love it as much as I do! They could have been one of the biggest bands around if it wasn’t for the tragedy, but this is a fitting tribute to both Bradley and the band as a whole. I’ll be spinning this plenty for most likely months to come, if not longer, and it more than lives up to the expectations. I can’t give it any less than 10/10, this is phenomenal.

Koe Wetzel: The Night Champion

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

East Texas Adrenaline: Knockout

The brand new album from the metal-punkers picks up right where their collection of 2022-2025 EPs left off. It’s nearly half a hour of heavy, balls-to-the-wall punk, and is a lot of fun! Tracks like ‘Lawnmower Fistfight’, ‘Day by Day’ and the bluesy single ‘Misfortune’ are all personal highlights. However, the whole album is pretty good, and goes by in a flash! My only slight negative would be the production, however that either comes with being a small band, or just adds to the punk-nature of the record, so it’s not exactly a hugely bad thing! If you are into either of the genres, this is well worth checking out. The closest comparisons my mind kept going to were things like The Wildhearts and Die Spitz. The band definitely have a new fan in me, and I’m curious to see where they go next! 7.5/10

Olivia Rodrigo: you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love

So, while typically not the usual sort of thing we cover here, her last couple of albums had a fair bit of rock tinge to them. And heck, we did Avril and Charlotte Sands, so there isn’t too much difference there! I’d even say I’m a bit of a fan, at least in terms of her bringing a punkier edge back to mainstream pop. Having said that, the singles from the album I’ve heard so far haven’t filled me with hope, so I am tentatively curious…

Sadly, my suspicions were correct. This album is slow. There is certainly a slight bit of rockier instrumentation and arrangement when the tracks reach their crescendo and final choruses, definitely adding an epic feel at times. But, outside of that, it’s a lot of slow, sad, piano pop. Tracks like ‘maggots for brains’ and ‘expectations’ are fun indie/folk rock tracks, but they don’t reach the heights of her previous works. The closest track to her usual sound is ‘my way’, and even that feels rather de-fanged. I know her previous albums as a whole aren’t fully rock, but this definitely has the edges sanded and rounded more than ever before. The punk and attitude is almost non-existent here. She’s clearly still a fantastic vocalist, and the lyrics on ‘the cure’ are some of my favourite she’s ever put to paper. It’s not a bad album, and definitely a step above a lot of pop music coming out these days, but it’s certainly not the direction I’d hoped Olivia would be going in. I don’t even think it’ll grow on me, honestly. 5/10

Circle of Origin: Gallows

The second EP from hard rock/metal Brits, after the phenomenal Guilty ‘til Proven Innocent from last year. To the surprise of I’m sure no one, this is another banger of a collection! It’s heavy and melodic in equal measure, packed full of awesome riffing, some solid drumming and some damn catchy choruses. Tracks like ‘Life Without’ and ‘Nothing’ are personal favourites, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. The band sit somewhere between Alter Bridge and 90s groove metal, and are all so very talented. They are clearly on the up-and-up and I can see them being a big name in the UK underground scene sooner rather than later! This is up there with their debut for me, building on everything great about Proven Innocent and dialling it up to 11. I’d highly recommend it to anyone interested! A very solid 8.5/10!

Dreamspy: The Dance of Illusions

Album three from solo, experimental project of vocalist-bassist Anssi Tamminen deserves so much more love than it’s going to get! For one man to get this massive a sound is damn impressive. And, even if I wasn’t a bassist myself, I’d still be damn impressed by the depth of sound he gets throughout this album! There’s some drum and synth behind Anssi, but both are fairly simple, designed to frame his playing and vocals, and done so fantastically. Both his playing and his vocals are incredible throughout too, proving just how criminally underrated he is as a musician. From the opener to ‘Poison Girl’ to ‘Holding Back the Blues’ there is a lot to love! It’s hard to pin down to a specific genre too, having elements of sleaze, AOR, melodic rock and even tinges of prog, doom and gothic. It’s short and sweet and a lot of fun; well worth checking out if you have a spare 28 minutes and are into an older school rock sound. An easy 7.5/10 from us, good stuff!

Stitched Up Heart: MEDUSA

The first album from the alt metallers in nearly three years, and my god is it a doozy! It’s also packed to the rafters with collabs from some of the very best in the sub-genre today! Finding themselves on a new record label after parting with Century, Judge & Jury have not only given the band more creative freedom, but also clearly had a hand in the entire record process. And, on top of that, we get everyone from Austin John Winkler to Butcher Babies, Nonpoint to Conquer Divide throughout, all adding their own spin on their tracks and each killing it as much as SUK do! From the opener to single ‘GLITCH BITCH’ to ‘DEAD TO ME’, there’s so much to love, but the album as a whole honestly slaps, there not being a bad song throughout! It’s a lot of fun, having plenty of lightheartedness, bounce and sass, alongside moments of deeper emotion.

I love that this sort of style, alongside the likes of The Pretty Wild and even Poppy to a point, is getting so much traction recently. The future evolution of metalcore is in very good hands, and more and more exceptional albums keep dropping in the genre, this very much being one of them! Check this out if you are at all interested, it’s truly fantastic. A very easy 9/10 from us!

Midland: Stages

Album five from the country trio follows up 2024’s Barely Blue perfectly! It’s a chilled-out, beautiful half an hour of traditional country music from honestly masters of the style. ‘One Day You Won’t’, massive single ‘Glass Half Empty’ and ‘Drunk Enough’ are all personal highlights. However, then you have the beautiful duet with Mackenzie Carpenter and a cover of Gary Allen’s ‘Drinkin’ Dark Whiskey’, and the whole album is packed full of awesome songs! The harmonies are of course spectacular and the best part of the album, but the songwriting is once again incredible, as expected from the band at this point. I absolutely love that this sort of style has come back in a big way the last few years, and Midland are definitely one of the front runners of the pack, in that regard. There isn’t a bad song throughout, and if you are at all into country music, you absolutely must check this out! I’ll certainly be listening to it again plenty moving forward, and can’t give it any less than 8.5/10!

Micko & The Mellotronics: The Trinity

Album three from the indie-infused post-punk quartet is a damn interesting listen! While typically not my sort of thing, I found myself having a great time listening. It had elements of surf rock and even horror punk at times; the bands love for 70s punk being clear even though they wrap it in a more modern package. And it’s 41-minute run time went by in a flash, an incredibly easy listen. Tracks like ‘Shadow’, ‘Misery Guts’ and ‘All at Sea’ are all personal highlights, but if you’re into the style you are very likely to love all of it! It’s not a release I’d revisit often, but I certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it was on, and the band are all insanely talented at what they do. A solid 7/10!

Redferrin: Been There Done That

The debut album from the rising country-pop megastar has finally arrived. We loved his first two EPs, and even chatted to the guy about the first, so to say that we have been excited about this release since it was announced may be an understatement! To say it doesn’t disappoint may also be a big understatement! Right from opener ‘If I Was California’ I was hooked, and not let go for the albums entire 38-minute run. From ‘Crazy’ to ‘3 Day Bender’ to ‘Straight to the Chapel’, there is so much to love. However, every song on this is awesome; even the Wiz Khalifa-featuring ‘Palm Trees’ is fun if nothing else.

Being a longer format has given Red the chance to really explore each side of his style. There’s plenty of variety through the album, and each style gets plenty of attention and time to shine and breath. His voice is phenomenal as always, and his way of writing radio hooks is utterly phenomenal; every chorus on here is amazing. I honestly think he’s the front runner in his sub-genre from a purely quality-output perspective (Mr Wallen be damned). If you are at all into a more modern radio-country style, this album is an absolute must. Another incredibly easy 8.5/10 from me!

Still Remains: Spirit Breaker

The first release from the US metalcorers in well over a decade, this EP is very much a welcome return! It’s five absolutely killer tracks spread across nearly 20 minutes of excellent heavy music. Whether it’s crushing screams, awesome riffs, solid drums or melodic, catchy cleans, this has it all, and all are dialled up to 11. It’s also impossible to pick highlights, as every track is as good as the last. And it spans plenty of different sounds in its short time, from first-wave metalcore to some synth elements to even moments of blackened death metal. I am so damn glad the band are back, and the fact that they have returned after years of silence right back to the top of their game is a true testament to their talent. I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here, but for now I’ll be spinning this a lot moving forward. I can’t give it any less than 10/10, truly amazing!

Leoni Jane Kennedy: Synthetic

The sophomore album from prog/blues rock artist, while not hugely my sort of thing, is an insanely impressive release! I do generally enjoy prog, but it’s a little slow and stripped-back for my tastes, not reaching the grandiose heights I’d personally wish it to. However, the talent on display throughout is honestly incredible. The playing to the vocals to the arrangement and writing is all off the charts, and all the pieces fit together perfectly. It’s no wonder the prog community have accepted her so readily, she is truly a one-of-a-kind talent. ‘Closer’ was probably my favourite of the release due to its last minute or two, but ‘Test the Water’ is a close second. It’s a release that may very well grow on me, but for now it still gets a solid 7.5/10 from me!

P.S. check out our interview with her here!

Graham Barham: CLUB COUNTRY

Another debut album from a country-pop artist this week, I feel like those are weird odds. This is exactly what you’d expect from the album title, for better or worse! It’s trap-infused country music, and I’m almost disappointed in myself for saying that I actually loved it! It’s shit in the best possible way. From the underlying country guitars, voice and lyrics to the electric beats, the rock instrumentation behind the choruses to the rapping, it all works far better than it ever should do, and is an incredibly fun combination. It very much feels like the evolution of Kane Brown’s sound the last five years or so. It’ll most likely piss off a lot of country purists, but honestly is more enjoyable than a fair few current pop-country stars’ work (Wallen catching all the strays this week…).

From the opener to ‘SO LONG SATURDAY NIGHT’, ‘MARLBORO STYLE’ to the silly ‘MCCONAUGHEY’, there is a lot to love. It does drop off slightly in the middle, but there is enough greatness that it makes up for it! It flows better than his EP last year, and has definitely won me over into a big fan of his. It feels like the evolution of a new sub-genre, and I for one am surprisingly down with it. 8/10, it’s a whole lotta fun!

Kenny Whitmire: Fool in a King Size Bed

Lingering somewhere between an album and an EP, the first non-single release from the traditional country Georgian is honestly fantastic! It’s chilled-out and stripped-back and utterly amazing from start to finish. From love songs to breakups to self-affirmation, Kenny writes it all so well, and does it all so catchily and seemingly with a smile on his face. It’s another release where it’s seemingly impossible to pick a couple of highlights from too, as I love each song as much as the next. And for a guy who generally isn’t as fussed about a mostly-slower release, that is surely saying a lot! This is the start of a massive career for the guy, I’m sure, and it’s an album I’ll be listening to a good amount moving forward. Check this out if you are at all into old-school country music! 8.5/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Shinedown, Kip Moore and More!

1st June 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A MASSIVE week of new music for us to check out, with huge releases from some of the biggest names in the rock, metal and country worlds. Let’s check it all out!

Shinedown: EI8HT

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

Kip Moore: Reason to Believe

We’ve also checked out this release! Read our review here.

JAYLER: Voices Unheard

The debut album from one of the fastest rising stars in the UK rock scene finally dropped this last Friday. Now, I want to get the positives out first. These kids are all incredible talented musicians. Their playing and songwriting skills are well beyond their age. Tracks like the massive single ‘Riverboat Queen’, ‘The Getaway’ and ‘Lovemaker’ are all big highlights, though there isn’t a bad song throughout!

However, I personally don’t need another Led Zeppelin clone. We’ve tried this revival sound so many times, whether it was Wolfmother, Kingdom Come, Rival Sons or Greta Van Fleet, all to varying degrees of success. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Zep fan, but it all kinda screams ‘we have Zep at home’. As I’ve said, it’s good music in its own right, I just wish they did something interesting with the sound. I’d love to hear that Robert Plant voice over something not blues rock, like Michael Poulsen does with that Elvis sound. Hopefully they’ll evolve like the previously mentioned bands do on subsequent releases and come into their own; they’re still incredibly young, after all! Hell, maybe I’m just jaded from people, including some media outlets, already touting the term ‘saviours of rock’, like they do any time one of these bands come around, and like it has ever needed saving.

As I’ve said, it’s certainly not a bad release. It’s exactly what you’d expect, and if you like this sort of thing you’ll most likely love it. The band have an INSANELY bright future ahead of them, that’s for sure. But after decades of similar sort of music, it’s hard not to get a little bored by it these days. So, sorry boys, I can’t give it any more than 7/10

All Them Witches: Red Rocking Chair

This thing is wild from start to finish! It’s stonery blues metal/hard rock for a full 43-minutes; plodding pace, awesome riffs and epic arrangements and vocals. It definitely has other elements to it, touches of indie acid and psychedelic, as well as a healthy dose of prog for good measure, but this release is stoner all over. Heck, opener ‘Red Rocking Chair’ is an awesome, heavy starting off point, and sets the quirky tone early. Then there are songs like the straight-up blues ‘Aethernet’, ‘Turn on the Light’ and the epic closer that are all other big highlights. The album takes the listener on a fantastic journey, and 43 minutes went by in a flash! The band are are hugely talented and have crafted something truly interesting with this release, constantly keeping me hooked despite the generally plodding pace throughout. Somehow I hadn’t heard them before but they have a big new fan in me! A solid 8/10 from us!

Devin Townsend: The Moth

As much as I’ve enjoyed the odd track here and there over the years, as well as loved his last album and plenty of SYL stuff back in the day, DAMN, I definitely ‘get’ it Heavy Devvy, now. This thing is epic, chaotic and brilliant, for a solid 70 minutes (excluding The Afterlife mixes on the deluxe), and I can’t seem to get enough. It’s like Danny Elfman if he made a metal film, and it’s no wonder Devin has considered this his “life’s work” the last decade plus.

Honestly, I can’t gush over the album enough. Everything about it, from the North Netherland’s Orchestra and Choir and all their awesomeness throughout to Devin’s criminally underrated, powerful vocals, to the occasional and well-earned heaviness to the arrangement as a whole, be it instrumentally or track-by-track, it’s all phenomenal. The release has such a perfect flow and energy to it throughout that over an hour goes by in an instant. And having so many interlude and shorter tracks between the more epic songs is a master-stroke, honestly. This is a metal opera through and through, to the quality not heard since Avantasia’s debut. From ‘War Beyond Words’ to ‘Enter the City’, ‘Stay There’ to ‘The Big Snit’ to ‘Stained Hearts’, there are plenty of tracks I’d listen to on their own. However, this release begs to be listened to in full, at least once. What a phenomenal, insanely creative release, and one I can’t give any less than 10/10 to!

Willie Nelson: Dream Chaser

Y’all know the drill by now. Huge legend, one of the hardest working musicians of all time, album number insanely high. Of course we’re fans of Willie here, and this album is a surprisingly great entry into his discography, especially given that the man isn’t far off 100 years old! The opener/title track is excellent in every way, while songs like ‘We’d Make a Good Movie’, ‘Whiskey Wants me To’ and ‘After All’ are all awesome too. It’s a great collection of both slower and more up-tempo tracks, and alternating the way this does was a great decision, keeping it constantly entertaining. It’s easy to see why he’s such a legend in the business and, honestly, this may be my favourite of his modern albums! It still shocks me to be putting stuff like this about a Willie Nelson release in 2026, but I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10. Amazing stuff, and fantastic traditional country!

Dogstar: All In Now

Not-Wyld-Stallyns put out their second album since their 2020 reunion, firmly establishing them as a mainstay in the alt-rock world at this point. We enjoyed their last album, so I have been curiously hyped since this was announced!

It’s another damn good post-new-wave rock album! It’s a light-hearted affair that is impossible not to have a good time when listening to. Channelling vibes of everything from grunge to punk, pop to hard rock, they somehow both feel old-school and accessible, while also feeling pretty unique in this day and age, a hard task to accomplish! Personal favourites include the title track, ‘Siren’ and ‘Shards of Rain’. However, the whole album is great, and each track flows into the next so effortlessly. Much like with their last album, it’s not something I’d revisit too often, but I’d happily throw on and relax to every now and again. If you like your lighter end of rock, this is very much the album for you, and is another entry into their now very solid discography! Another solid 8/10 from us! Such a shame they clash with Pretty Wild at Download…

Oh, and all hail our lord and saviour, Keanu Reeves.

Redshift: Down the Wire

This anti-AI prog metal release is the third from the UK trio, following up 2023’s INSANE Laws of Entropy. It’s every bit as great as I expected, and a worthy follow-up to Laws. Single ‘The Singer’ is incredible, while the chaotic, prog masterclass of ‘The Machine’ and the Derek Sherinian-featuring ‘The Rogue’ are all big other highlights. However, all six tracks here are as good as the last! The sheer talent on display from everyone involved throughout is truly mindblowing, and they have once again blown me away with their skill of playing and songwriting. I feel like it fits rather perfectly alongside the rest of their discography, and is impossible to pick a favourite out of the three. Instead, it just makes me want to listen to it all back-to-back! Either way, I’ll certainly be spinning this awesomeness again, and it gets another incredibly solid 9/10 from us!

Kiefer Sutherland: GREY

The Lost Boys/24 and now country legend put out his fourth album last week. It’s a chilled-out affair from start to finish, packed with bittersweet lyrics and vibes, great acoustic instrumentation, and the odd catchy chorus from Kiefer’s now trademark rasp. I have to admit it’s still a little odd hearing someone with a (rumoured) networth of $100 million sing from the perspective of a working man, but somehow he makes it work, more often than not! Tracks like single ‘GOODBYE CALIFORNIA’, ‘SIMPLER TIME’ and ‘THE BOTTLE LET ME DOWN’ are personal highlights. Sadly, outside of those tracks, this album is generally a little too, melancholic and depressing for me. There will certainly be people who love this as a whole, and I can appreciate it for sure, but I’m not one of them. He’s always been on the slower end, but this is more stripped-back and hopeless than ever. Maybe it’ll grow on me, but I do generally prefer his more Randy Newman-esque up-tempo stuff, generally. It’s not bad, but not something I see myself revisiting all too often. For now, it gets a 6.5/10 from us.

Static Dress: Injury Episode

The UK post-hardcorers put out their highly anticipated sophomore album last Friday. They have grown a lot since their debut, both in terms of size and songwriting. I definitely have revisited Rouge Carpet Disaster a few times since 2022 when it dropped, but this feels like a step up for them. Opener ‘questioning’ is alt and heavy awesomeness, and sets the tone for the rest of the album perfectly! Then you have tracks like ‘Pharmacy Film’, the Underoath-featuring ‘Nostalgia Kills’ ‘lip critic’ and ‘Classic.Death.Pose.’ that are all huge highlights. Honestly though, this album slaps from start to finish! It gives vibes of everything from MCR to Coheed, 3TEETH to Loathe, but also with something else that makes them feel pretty unique. It’s elements of post-hardcore, industrial, nu, punk and emo all perfectly infused together, and I can’t get enough! I’ll be revisiting this a LOT moving forward, and don’t be surprised to see it getting pretty high on our albums of the year list come December. 9/10

The Real McKenzies: Paul McKenzie Sings on Yer Bike

The Canadian Celtic punk legends are back with a follow-up to 2022’s awesome Songs of the Highlands. And wouldn’t you believe it, it’s another banger of an album from one of the most underrated bands around from the 90s and 2000s! The three singles are incredible, while tracks like ‘The Mad Trapper of Rat River’ and the almost polka/ska ‘Liver Spot’ are also huge high points. It’s barely half an hour and goes by in a flash, as well as begs you to swing and dance along. It’s impossible not to have a good time with it, especially when the band don’t take themselves hugely seriously. There isn’t much else I can say about it aside for if you’re into fun punky vibes, you absolutely MUST give this a try! 8/10

Alana Springsteen: I HOPE THIS HELPS

The sophomore album from the Virginia singer-songwriter feels like it’s been a long time coming. Her debut only came out three years ago, but I guess it’s been a long three years! We enjoyed her particular combination of country music and sad-girl-pop then, and this release perfectly continues on from that. Honestly, it did take a little bit of getting into for whatever reason, the first couple of tracks didn’t hook me, but from ‘sad hour’ onwards it really clicked for me. ‘love to see it’, ‘diy’, ‘no man’s’ and single ‘black sheep’ are all big highlights for me. And, though it’s another longer release, I felt it was less overwhelming this time round. Whether it was the fact that a couple of the tracks were short interludes this time round, or that my favourite songs were spread throughout, who knows. All I know is that that five less minutes mad a big difference, and definitely in a positive way.

It feels like a more focused and refined album, exactly what you want from a second release. It’s easy to see why she is one of the fastest rising stars in the genre today, as she is already incredible consistent with her releases, this being every bit as good as her debut. Another very solid 8.5/10

Blackmarket: Radical Views

This EP feels like it’s been a long time coming, following up their 2021 self-titled album. However, it’s an excellent 12 minutes of anger, heaviness and nu/industrial metal awesomeness. All four tracks are as good as the last too, and all combine together to give a full showcase for the bands range and style. ‘Bleed’ and the title track are personal highlights, but that doesn’t take away how excellent the other two songs are! The band feel like they have carved an awesome niche for themselves, no one sounds like this, and it will surely serve them excellently moving forward! If you like any of the genres that I’ve described above, this is well worth checking out! My only complaint is that there isn’t more of it! Hopefully we won’t have to wait as long next time for new music, and if it’s a new album, even better! For now I’ll definitely be spinning this plenty, though. A solid 8.5/10

Rodney Atkins: True South

The 2000s country legend is back with his first new music in seven years, and picks up right where he left off with Caught Up in the Country! It kicks off strong with the Outlaw country-rock title track and ‘Helluvit’, while tracks like ‘Hole in One’, ‘All Y’all’ and ‘Silver Bullets’ are all other big highlights. Having been a fan of his for a long time now, it’s exactly what I hoped for and expected, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Covering sounds from Brantley Gilbert to Russel Dickerson to more of a classic sound, it’s an awesome 40 minutes that, even if it has maybe one too many slower songs, doesn’t once get boring! My only issue was there was maybe a slight bit too much cheesy, typical country stuff in the lyrics. However, it’s Rodney Atkins, so it was rather expected! Plus, he offsets it perfectly with some of the other tracks packed full of genuine emotion. He is back in a big way, and I’m just glad we finally got a new LP from him! If you’re into the more radio side of country, especially from the 2000s/2010s, this is absolutely an album for you! 8/10

Guided By Voices: Crawlspace of the Pantheon

Another year, another album from the old-school indie rockers for us to check out. I’ve lost track of how many we’ve covered, now. Much like with Nelson above, I fully commend and respect their hard-working nature, their last album dropping just eight months ago and this being their 42nd studio album. Unlike the Willie album, however, I didn’t enjoy this too much. It certainly had its moments, like the Foo Fighters-y opener, the outro of ‘One Last Blow’ and ‘Chariot Ride’ itself was fine too. However, it was all just so… meh, so boring. It’s nothing I haven’t heard from the band before, and I came into it some 30+ albums into their career already. Unless they do something drastically different, I’m not covering another of their releases, I feel too mean giving them back scores on the regular. It’s not bad by any stretch, it will certainly have its fans, but it isn’t for me at the best of times, never mind when I’ve heard them do it before and better. Another 3.5/10

Malummeh: Self-Titled

The first release since their reformation in 2022, the Finnish old-school metalcore/melodeath EP goes HARD. It’s 18 minutes of anger, heaviness and incredible musicianship. The riffs are incredible, the drumming is insane and the screams are brutal and amazing. And yet, there are still catchy, more melodic moments spread throughout too, arguably only making the heavy bitter heavier. Opener ‘Dethroned’ sets the pace of the release perfectly, while ‘October’ is also heavy greatness. However, that doesn’t take away from the other two tracks, which are also awesome. It’s an amazing return from a band that still have the chance to be a pretty big name in the scene, especially when they are putting out stuff of this quality. Heck, my only complaint would be that there wasn’t enough of it! Hopefully they keep making new music, as I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here. A very solid 8/10 from us!

Joshua Ray Walker: Ain’t Dead Yet

Embodying the hard-working traditional country attitude that Willie champions above, this is Joshua’s eighth studio album in his relatively short seven years of releasing music. It’s also impressive that it’s at this high a quality, given how high-paced he’s working at. Tracks like ‘Shoot Me Straight’, ‘Outlaw’ and ‘Stepping Stones’ all big high points. However, at just 10 tracks and 33 minutes, it’s an incredibly easy listen throughout. Joshua has such a unique but fantastic voice, and it had me hooked from start to finish. Well, that and his witty, emotion-filled lyric writing! Though it does have a modern edge to it, certainly on the production side of things, this is certainly a release for anyone into the old-school style of country music! I had a blast, and can’t give it any less than 8/10!

Burning Rope: Dissolution

The sophomore album from the former Catfish members dropped this last Tuesday, and is a fantastic bluesy rock release! It’s 47 minutes of awesome riffing, solid drumming and some great, catchy vocal melodies. It has elements of everything from Hendrix to Joanne Shaw Taylor to Dire Straits, and is a lot of fun! From the opener to ‘Second Time Around’ to ‘Houdini’, there is plenty to love throughout! The band are all incredibly talented, still at the top of their respective crafts. If you are at all into this sort of music, you know exactly what to expect and will probably have a great time with this! Being a blues guy myself I enjoyed it, and will happily be spinning it again in the future. A solid 7/10 from us!

Melanie Herrera: A Fearful & Wondrous Thing

The debut album from the ‘storybook pop’ singer-songwriter really takes the listener on a journey! It’s a full nearly 40 minutes mixture of everything from pop to rock, folk to funk to soul, and everything in-between. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but I had a blast with this! From ‘Cool Girls Party’ to the emotion-filled ‘You’re Doing Great’ and ‘Call You Baby’, there’s a lot to love. Each track is good in its own right though, and the album as a whole as a great flow to it. It certainly won’t be for everyone reading this, but if you have even a passing like of pop music, it is well worth a try! I’ll definitely be spinning it again, at least over the summer, and it gets a solid 7.5/10 from me!

News

Novacaine Festival Returns for 2026!

7th May 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

After a hugely successful debut on Saturday 4 October 2025, Novacaine Festival quickly established itself as a new platform within the UK alternative music scene. The inaugural event was headlined by The Five Hundred, with main support from Bleed Again, alongside a diverse line-up including DACRA, Night Thieves, Reckoner, Broken Empire, and local rising artists Reanimate, Our North, Dead Demons and Ocean Thieves. With the 2025 event coming close to selling out, the festival’s mission was clear from the outset: bring together established touring bands and emerging talent from across the UK while delivering an uncompromising live experience for fans.

Now, Novacaine Festival returns on Saturday 28 November 2026, raising the bar once again!

Headlining the event are post-hardcore heavyweights As Everything Unfolds. The band released their third studio album Did You Ask To Be Set Free earlier this year and continue to build momentum across the alternative scene, with major festival appearances already scheduled including Download Festival.

Joining them as sub-headliners are Tropic Gold, whose explosive rock ’n’ roll energy and rapidly growing fanbase make them a powerful addition to the bill.

Elsewhere, TheCityIsOurs and FOXHAUNT add further weight to the line-up, reinforcing Novacaine’s commitment to pairing established names with ambitious rising artists ready for bigger stages.

More acts will be announced within the coming months. You can already pick up your tickets for the event here!

Event organiser Scott O’Shea said: “First, thank you to everyone who helped turn my dream of launching a music festival into a reality. Our debut show was an incredible night, and the support we’ve seen throughout 2026 has been beyond anything I imagined. None of this would have been possible without the bands, Corporation, and most importantly the fans who showed up and supported the event.

2026 will be the biggest show I’ve put together so far. The aim is not just to grow the festival but to keep creating opportunities for rising artists while giving something back to the community that helped build this. One of our biggest supporters last year was our 2025 compere, Robert Fulton-Hamilton. Rob brought huge energy to the night, introducing every band and conducting interviews throughout the event. Those interviews will feature in upcoming magazine releases, and I’m delighted he’ll be returning in 2026 as our official compere with RJFH Music.”

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: The Black Keys, Kacey Muscgraves and More!

4th May 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A typically stacked week of New Music Mondays, with everything from rock to metal to country putting out great stuff! Let’s dive in and check it all out!

The Black Keys: Peaches!

The 14th album from the garage/blues rock revitalists is a lot of fun! It’s 10 scrappy, technically awesome songs that flow together rather perfectly. It’s exactly what you’d expect if you know the band in any way! We somehow missed their album last year, but did enjoy 2024’s Ohio Players. There’s just something about Keys’ particular style of jam band; it’s never normally my sort of thing but I end up having a blast whenever I listen to them. Tracks like ‘Stop Arguing Over Me’ and ‘You Go to Lose’ are big highlights for me. However, a release like this BEGS for a full listen-through in a single sitting, and I honestly think doing it that way adds to every song, and the product as a whole. Yeah, the tracks are all a touch similar, and 44 minutes is maybe a touch too long unless you are really into the genre. However, I can’t think of a song to cut, they all fit so well. And, if you are into the band or the respective genres, you’ll love it from start to finish!

The duo work so effortlessly well together some two plus decades into their careers, and show off once again why they are two of the most underrated players and songwriters in the game today. I’ll certainly be spinning it again in the months to come, and it gets a solid 8/10 from me!

Kacey Musgraves: Middle of Nowhere

Following up 2024’s massive and critically acclaimed Deeper Well (we had… some thoughts… on it), was going to be no easy task. However, to my shock, I ended up rather enjoying this; it’s a damn solid country-pop release! ‘Middle of Nowhere’ opens the album on a high, and the tongue-in-cheek ‘Dry Spell’ is so well written it’s impossible not to enjoy. Then you have tracks like ‘Abilene’ and ‘Mexico Honey’ that are also damn solid songs. I love that the middle of this release is dominated by some awesome guest appearances too, everyone doing so well and adding their own amazing flare to each song. ‘Horses and Divorces’ with the wonderful Miranda Lambert was probably my favourite, though Willie Nelson’s was also good. Don’t get me wrong, Kacey is to middle-aged divorced women what dad rock is to 30-something white dudes, but I still found myself enjoying in. Maybe I’ve gone soft. However, I certainly wouldn’t turn this off if it came back on again, and will most likely be listening to a few of the tracks of my own volition moving forward. 7/10

Sevendust: One

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

KNEECAP: FENIAN

Despite liking their punk attitude and leanings, I never really got KNEECAP… until now! This is a damn solid release, and I had a blast listening to it! It gives off vibes of Pendulum or even Prodigy at times with the instrumentation, while there’s some truly great rapping and memorable choruses throughout. Tracks like ‘Carnival’, ‘Liars Tale’ and ‘Gael Phonics’ are personal highlights. Don’t get me wrong, it all sounds pretty similar, and 14 of the same sort of songs did get a touch old late in the album. But, even with them switching between English and Irish mid-line sometimes, making it hard for me to follow some of their bars, the emotion and anger is still very much present throughout. It was a really captivating listen. As someone who doesn’t know much by them, I’ll at least be listening again, and may be pressed to give their previous stuff another try! If you’re a fan of them, or the heavier side of hip-hop/house/rap in general, I’d highly recommend giving this a spin! Another solid 7/10, and one I’ll certainly be revisiting at some point.

Venom: Into Oblivion

The first album from the black metal pioneers in nearly eight years, the band very much picking up right where they left off. If you’re familiar with the bands sound at all, you’ll know exactly what to expect here, and it hits that right on the head. It’s fine. While I completely appreciate and admire the bands contributions and influence on metal music, but this is nothing we haven’t heard before. It’s good first-wave black metal/thrash, but both genres have moved so far past this sound since the 80s, and I do think for good reason. It’s actually rather wild to me that the band are on album 16 and haven’t really strayed too far away from their original sound, just gotten better production. Tracks like ‘Lay Down Your Soul’ and ‘Metal Bloody Metal’ were personal highlights, but much of the rest I could kinda take or leave. It’s good for what it is, but I’d rather just go back and listen to their first three LPs. I sadly can’t give it any more than 6.5/10

ERNEST: Deep Blue

Where did this come from?! I LOVED this album. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly don’t hate his previous work, and last years Cadillac Sessions was also not bad, even if he wasn’t the highlight of that. However, he’s always struck me as a bit of a mixed bag of a songwriter, at least when it came to his own work. Well, he’s finally found his sound, and it’s Jimmy Buffett levels of tropical country awesomeness. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a few Morgan Wallen-esque songs scattered throughout, but overall it’s a precisely written album. Every song fits together perfectly and the album has an excellent flow to it. I honestly wasn’t expecting 44 minutes to go by so quickly and easily. It’s just a great album to throw on, sit back and relax to. From the opening two songs to ‘Somewhere in the Caribbean’ and ‘End of the Night’ to ‘Boat Named After You’, there is so much to love. However, every song on here is amazing, and the whole thing is worth spinning from start-to-finish at least once! Hopefully we are getting more of this sound moving forward from ERNEST because DAMN, I loved this. I’ll be listening to this plenty moving forward, and this gets an easy 9/10!

Haste the Day: Dissenter

The first studio album since the metalcore band’s second reunion in 2023, and this thing goes hard from start to finish! It’s both hugely heavy and beautifully melodic in equal measure, and is so very well put together. ‘Shallows’ sets the tone perfectly, while tracks like ‘Grave’, ‘Gnasher’ and the epic closing single are all personal highlights. It’s very much that heavier modern end to the genre, blended with emo and leaning more on the hardcore side of things. It’s no wonder they have Silent Planet guest on a track, as it’s very similar music. It also gives off slight Deftones vibes at times. If all of that sounds good to you, this is definitely an album worth checking out! It’s not typically my side of the genre, but I still had a good time listening to this, and wouldn’t be opposed to checking it out again in the near future. A solid 7.5/10 from us, though it may get higher with more listens!

Jenny Colquitt: Pockets Full of Rain

Goddamn, this thing made me cry at work. Need an even more glowing endorsement than that? Fine by me! This is 41 minutes of beautifully, masterfully crafted music, having me hooked from start to finish. A lot of it reminds me of the Lily Allen ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ cover; powerful piano-based ballads. However, then Jenny can hit you with some huge vocals that are more akin to Sara Ramirez or even Amy Lee, and gives me goosebumps every time. From the opener to ‘Waiting for the Sun’, the almost murder-folk epic ‘Peace Man’ to the epic grand finale/title track, there is so much to love. And ‘The Water’… *chefs kiss*. It’s honestly one of my favourite tracks of the year, and I need to see it in a big theater backed by a full orchestra, it is that epic and good.

I could gush about this album all day. Her vocals are incredible, providing exactly what the track needs in the moment, be it power or tenderness. And the emotion on display from both the delivery and the lyrics, and also backed up by the instrumentation, is amazing throughout. And even the production/arrangement, the mix is phenomenal and every instrument is so excellently placed. This isn’t my usual brand of music, sat somewhere between ‘sad girl’ and epic soft rock, but I am homestly a little obsessed. How she isn’t a bigger name already is beyond me, but she has a HUGE new fan in me off the back of this release. I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10, and I’d urge anyone reading this to check it out immediately!

Onra: After Dark

Nestled confusingly between an EP and an album, this release follows up 2024s Nosthaigia rather perfectly. The chilled out electronic music sits comfortably between hip-hop, R&B and funk, and is impossible not to have a good time when listening. Personal highlights include ‘That Kind of Girl’ and the sexy-jazz infused ‘Ecstacy’. However, the whole album has a great flow to it, there not really being a dull moment. It certainly won’t be for everyone, but I didn’t think it would be my thing and I had a great time listening to it. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Onra moving forward, as well as listening to his previous work ASAP. He’s a fantastic French producer, and I can’t give this anything less than 7/10. Good stuff!

Wooden Shadow: Age of Tree

Now for an actual, fully fledged EP. It’s a fair bit different to the previous entry, though! 15 minutes of incredible, heavy pagan/death metal, all produced by one insanely talented guy! How the same guy not only wrote all of this, but also performed it all, honestly blows my mind. Even if it was crap, it would be impressive, but the fact that it is also amazing folk-death metal makes it honestly phenomenal. It’s heavy, melodic and even has some theatrical elements and feel to it throughout. All four songs are amazing, and the intro track is also awesome. If I had one vague complaint, the cleans aren’t quite as good as his screams. However, it takes almost nothing away from how amazing this release is! If you’re into the heavier end of metal, give this one a spin, you won’t be disappointed! 8.5/10

American Football: LP4

This is a weird one. The first album from the Midwest emo band in seven years, and only their forth overall across their 15 active years. It’s usually a style I quite like, but I couldn’t get into. It felt a lot more like a New Wave/soft punk vibe, almost like a Pulp or Soft Cell, than what I expected. The highlight for me was probably the proggy single ‘Bad Moons’, especially with the lyrics. However, the rest was pretty similar, and not really my sort of bag. Especially when it ran for nearly 50 minutes, too. Don’t get me wrong, the band are insanely talented, and I’m sure they’re good songwriters too, but this style bored the hell out of me. If you are into the band or the sound, you will probably get a lot out of this. However, I can’t give it any more than a 4/10, sorry guys.

Bird: Strange as Folk

Following up on 2025’s Heads or Tales EP, we get another awesome glimpse into the folky singer-songwriter’s world. It’s a simple four tracks (and a remix) that really highlights her strengths; the fantastic lyrics and production/dynamics. Also, her vocals throughout are beautiful, fitting the tone of the songs excellently. Everything feels perfectly put together. The ‘Lay Lady Lay’ cover is a big highlight, both mixes, as is the duet with Jane Ellen Bryant to close things out. If you are into things a little more chilled and slower paced, this is absolutely the release for you! And, while it’s not especially my sort of thing, it has definitely left me wanting more! 6.5/10

Cage Fight: Exuvia

The highly anticipated sophomore album from the aggressive heavy metal quartet is every bit as amazing as I’d hoped for! We loved their debut a few years back, and this continues their track record on PERFECTLY. ‘Oxygen’ is the perfect tone-setter, while y’all should know how much we love ‘Pig’ already! The awesomeness keeps rolling after that with ‘Pick Your Fighter’ (feat. the incredible Julian Truchan of Benighted) and the excellent single ‘Un Bon Souvenir’. And hell, all of that’s just under half the album. The other six songs are just as excellent, with the title track and the slower ‘Élégie’ being other high points. Honestly, there isn’t a bad song on the album, though, and 40ish minutes goes by in a flash! The band are all insanely talented, with Rachel Aspe being one of the most underrated vocalists around today. If you are a fan of stuff on the heavier end, this album is an absolute must, and will surely be another stepping-stone to the top for a band so incredibly deserving of it! Another easy 9/10!

Ashen Horde: The Harvest

Album five from the prog-black metal band is 40+ minutes of twists, turns and heaviness that I couldn’t help but love. I tend not to be into black metal all that stuff, but then the clean singing came in, the vocals powerful and catchy. They also work perfectly when in harmony (if you can call it that?) with the screams. It gave the tracks some incredible dynamics, and made it really interesting to listen to, especially over the usual black metal style. It almost gives it a metalcore edge to it at times, which was really cool to hear! Especially when the instrumentation also goes into chuggy or breakdown territory as well as the usual genre tropes. Tracks like ‘Entropy and Ecstasy’ and ‘Apparition’ are personal highlights, but every song on here is as good as the last! The band are so insanely talented, both as musicians and songwriters, and have crafted something truly special here. They have a huge new fan in me, and I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10!

Southall: Kinfolk

This is another awesome collection of southern rock tracks from the Stillwater natives. The band found their winning formula years ago at this point and have perfected it more and more with each release. From single ‘Southwestern Son’ to ‘House Money’, title track to the closer, there is so much to love here. And, at just 34 minutes long, it goes by in a flash, in and out without any chance of getting bored. It’s a lot of fun, but also has some emotion through the couple of ballads. It’s just a damn good southern rock album, and is impossible not to have a good time with! I really hope these guys tour here again with the new release, as they kicked ass at The Long Road and I’d love to see them again! For now though, I’ll certainly be spinning this plenty again, especially through the summer months. An easy 8/10

Austin Snell: Colors

The pop-country singer-songwriter is back with another EP, less than a year after Home Sweet Hell. While ‘Daddy’s Eyes’ is a bit slow to open things, it’s beautifully written and full of emotion. Then you have the slightly rockier ‘Everything But Ok’, kicking the release into a higher gear and giving me a chorus to be stuck in my head for days to come! Then you have ‘My Favourite Scar’ and the single/title track that are also excellent! I feel like seven songs is maybe a little long for an EP, but this is pretty much all killer. If you like a more radio-country sound, this is definitely worth checking out! It’s easy to hear why he’s becoming such a big name in a short amount of time, and this is another great addition to his growing discography! 7/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Foo Fighters, Jason Aldean and Much More!

27th April 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

An absolutely HUGE week for new releases this week, with some of the biggest names in rock, metal and country stepping up to the plate. Let’s dive into some!

Foo Fighters: Your Favourite Toy

Album 12 from Dave & co. is far better than it has any right to be. As much as we enjoyed But Here We Are, I still feel like Foo Fighters haven’t been the same since Wasting Light. There was definitely some good stuff on Sonic Highways and Concrete and Gold, but it didn’t quite hit the same as their previous work. This, however, is their best work in 15 years, and it’s by some margin! Opener/single ‘Caught in the Echo’ is heavy for modern Foos, while ‘Your Favourite Toy’ has grown on me more with more listens since its release. Then you have tracks like ‘If You Only Knew’, ‘Spit Shine’ and the epic closing single that are all huge highlights. However, almost every track on this is amazing, the only slight dud for me being ‘Child Actor’. It’s a pretty tight release too, with the 10 tracks going by in a flash and there being far less filler compared to killer.

While it’s missing a world-conquering, massive hit like it seemed every earlier album had, it has a renewed energy, passion and urgency to it that it hasn’t felt like the band have had in years. As an album as a whole, this is damn impressive, and up there alongside some of the best of their back catalogue. While not as emotion-filled as their previous release, it’s stronger in other areas, and still a very solid 9/10!

Jason Aldean: Songs About Us

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

Brontës: Self-Titled

The debut album from the alt rock female quartet is a great, chilled-out release. It’s not my sort of thing typically, so really that should show how high quality this is, that I still had a blast listening! From the opener to ‘Wouldn’t be Me’, ‘Thelma and Louise’ to ‘I Think I Love You’, there are plenty of great songs throughout. Every song has it’s place, though, and the whole album is so easy to listen to. It feels like the perfect combination of 2000s romcom music and hints of the likes of Paula Cole or Carol King. It’s a real US sound, and one that feels pretty nostalgic while still being modern. I don’t quite hear the Sabrina influence they tout, but the Blondie I can vaguely hear, at least their older sound! It’s a fun relaxing listen that still packs some emotion in when it needs to. Check it out if you are at all interested, you won’t be disappointed! 7.5/10

The Amity Affliction: House of Cards

Max: So, the Amity Affliction are back with another album and I have to say, this was really good. This is the first album since the band parted ways with their previous vocalist, so they definitely had something to prove. The album is heavy and intense and exactly what you would expect, so they certaintly did prove that they are just as good as ever. Now my one issue is that I feel like their new clean vocalist is a bit underused. However, I don’t think that is a huge detractor from the album, nor do I feel like it there would have been a massive improvement to the album if there were more cleans. If I was to pick a track that I think people should listen to, I would say either ‘Kickboxer’ or ‘Bleed’ as they are just exceptional. I am honestly quite interested in what is going to come next for this band. 8.5/10

Jackson Dean: Magnolia Sage

The third studio album from the rising country star is and excellent journey through old-school, Americana and blues. We loved his last album, and this release builds on that and his debut, evolving his sound perfectly and naturally. Tracks like the opener, chilled single ‘Tennessee Moon’ and ‘Wildfire’ are all personal highlights. It’s a little less rocky than his previous stuff, it reminding me a surprising amount of Newton Faulkner. It’s not a bad thing, but I did find it a little harder to stay interested throughout, as it is all relatively similar. If you are into the likes of Drake White, you will most likely love this, and I will certainly be spinning it again! However, it does stand out the least of his catalogue so far, so I can’t give it any more than an 7.5/10

Where Victims Lie: What Was Left Behind

The return EP from the 2000s thrash masters, their first since 2007s Promo release, shows that they haven’t lost a step in nearly 20 years! It’s heavy, lightening fast, and yet anthemic when it needs to be. The band are insanely talented, everything from the riffing to the drumming to harsh vocals being amazing and top notch. It’s also 20 minutes of excellence, each song being as good as the last. However, I think ‘Veil’ is my favourite track, it almost having an air of Machine Head in the chorus. It’s clearly inspired heavily by the likes of Slayer and Kreator, but also definitely has a bit of a modern edge to it too, not too dissimilar to Evile. If you are into the heavier side of metal, this whole release is well worth checking out, and will definitely be one I spin regularly moving forward. A very solid 8/10 from us!

Atreyu: The End is Not the End

The 10th album from the metalcore titans has no right going as hard as it does. Right from opening single ‘Dead’, this thing is balls-to-the-wall, while still giving moments of melodic reprieve to only add to the epicness. That is followed excellently by the groovy ‘Break Me’ and the catchy single ‘All For You’. And heck, we still have another nine songs after that! While tracks like ‘Glass Eater’, the Max Cavalera-featuring ‘Children of Light’ and the beautifully bittersweet ‘Afterglow’ are all huge highlights, every song on this is incredible. It feels like the band have finally fully settled into their most recent lineup with this release, as much as I did like Baptize and The Beautiful Dark of Light. Honestly, this is my favourite release of their since Congregation of the Damned; it’s all-killer, no-filler, and the band are all on top form throughout. If you are at all a fan of the band or the genre, this is a no-brainer of a release! Up there alongside some of my favourite metalcore releases in recent years, and it gets a very solid 9.5/10 from us!

Fangslinger: Welcome to the Lost Souls Saloon

The debut album from one of our favourite new bands finally dropped this last Friday, and we couldn’t be more hyped! We have loved watching these cats grow the last couple of years, and it feels like it has reached its crescendo perfectly with this release! They are the perfect blend of country, gothic and metallic hard rock/metal, and I honestly can’t get enough. They had our top EP of last year, and my only vague complaint is that that makes up half of this album. However, when the tracks are as high quality as these are, it’s honestly hard to even be mad about it! As for the new songs, ‘As the Crow Flies’ may be may favourite song by them, and ‘Wanted Undead’ and the epic closer are up there alongside it! This is an excellent album that I’d recommend to just about anyone, and just makes me love them even more. I can’t wait to hear them live over the summer, but for now I’ll be spinning this plenty! Another very solid 9.5/10 from us!

Jon Corabi: New Day

Somehow the first fully electric solo release from the former Crüe/current Daisies frontman, New Day shows just what we’ve been missing all these years. It’s an awesome boot stompin’, blues-infused rock album, and is a lot of fun throughout! The title track opens things in style, while the ballad ‘When I was Young’, the swaggering ‘One More Shot’ and the heavy blues ‘Your Own Worst Enemy’ are all huge high points. It’s somehow both exactly what you’d expect from him given his recent output, yet also a little unexpected at times. While nearly-50 minutes is maybe a touch long, especially for a generally plodding blues pace throughout, it’s still a damn good album, and none of it is bad by any stretch! If you are a fan of the genre, Dead Daisies or just Corabi in general, this is well worth a listen! It’s a damn fun release, and one I’ll definitely be spinning again. 8/10

At the Gates: The Ghost of a Future Dead

The first album from the melodeath legends in nearly half a decade, this has been highly anticipated since its announcement. To the surprise of I’m sure almost no one, it’s really damn good! It’s classic At the Gates for 42 solid minutes. From ‘The Dissonant Void’ to ‘A Ritual of Waste’, ‘Parasitical Hive’ to ‘The Phantom Gospel’, there’s some absolutely incredible tracks throughout this whole release. The band proved that after nearly 40 years and now eight studio albums, the band still very much have it. They’re so dam talented, and it’s easy to see why they helped inspire a whole genre and have endured so prominently through it since. It won’t be for everyone, but if you’re into old-school melodeath, this is absolutely one to check out! I loved it, and it’s an incredibly easy 9/10 from me!

Yonah: Bird of Miracles

The debut album from the alt/indie folk singer-songwriter is a beautiful, chilled-out and deep release. While not typically my sort of thing on paper, it had some great old-school folk-rock, drawing from the likes of Dylan and Young. There’s depth and emotion to the lyrics and playing, everything feeling so purposefully and meticulously crafted. Right from the excellent opener I was hooked, and it somehow didn’t let me go until the very end. The duet with Myella, ‘Pressure, Forever’, was a definite highlight, as was ‘All I do’. However, every song is pretty excellent. He’s set to be a big name in the scene sooner rather than later, and this is a fantastic jumping off point for just that! I already can’t wait to hear where he goes from here, but for now it gets a solid 8/10 from us!

Six Feet Under: Next to Die

Another album from Chris Barnes and co., another collection of great riffs and playing ruined for me by Chris’ vocal style. Opener ‘Approach Your Grave’ was surprisingly steady in tempo, and I loved the riffs and plodding pace and drums. However, from the marginally-better-than-early-Cannibal-Corpse tones and production to Barnes’ illegible growls, it doesn’t do much for me. And that’s honestly one of the highlights of the album, alongside ‘Mind Hell’. I do enjoy this release more than I did their last one, but that’s not saying an awful lot. 4/10

Krooked Tongue: I Know a Place

This one has been a long time coming. It has been in the works for a while, and been announced for MONTHS now. Well, it’s finally here, and I can safely say that I loved it! It’s alt rock at its very best, and it’s no wonder the trio have garnered a lot of buzz around them in recent years. Be it the epic opener, the deliciously indie ‘Dog Days’ or the surprisingly heavy ‘Blood Shark’, there is so much variety, and so much to love! I definitely, hear both the Royal Blood and QOTSA comparisons, but the band also feel wholly unique at the same time, doing things very much their own way. It’s a fun release, while also being dark, heavy and emotional I’m equal measure. I’ve been a distant fan of them for years at this point, but this release has very much solidified me as a big one, that’s for sure! It’s well worth checking out if you are into indie, alt, or just any sort of rock in general, as so much of this album is a highlight in its own right. An incredibly easy 8.5/10, though it may grow on me even more with more listens!

Portrayal of Guilt: …Beginning of the End

Following up their critically-acclaimed CHRISTFUCKER album-pair (there’s a phrase I never thought I’d say), the hardcore black metallers returned with their fifth studio album. As much as Max loved their last release, I simply don’t get it, man. I completely appreciate that it is dark and heavy as hell and that certainly appeals to some. Heck, I didn’t even mind the odd riff, scream or breakdown peppered throughout. But, overall, my god was this just chaotic noise. I feel like I’d get into it a lot more live, but sadly it doesn’t do a great deal for me on track. ‘Human Terror’ and ‘God Will Never Hear Me’ are songs worth checking out if you’re interested! It’s definitely not bad by any stretch, just a touch too quirky for me. 5/10

Dead Reynolds: Yellow Weather Warning

This is a damn fun, punk-tinged melodic rock album! It’s packed full of anthemic tracks and moments, reminding me a fair bit of the likes of Mason Hill. ‘Count Me In’ sets the tone perfect, while songs like ‘Parasite’, ‘Hurricane’ and ‘Someone Else’ are excellent and carry on that same energy perfectly. And, while 41 minutes is maybe a touch too long for this sort of music, I can’t think of a track I’d want them to cut, as they are all that good! The band are all insanely talented, proving that they haven’t lost a step in the five years between albums. They should be a bigger name than they are, but this will surely be the album to push them over that edge! 9/10

The Groggy Dogs: No Grog No Glory

The first album from the pirate punk/metal/ska collective in four years, and continues on from their previous releases excellently, being another fun trek! It’s like the perfect blend of Dropkick Murphys, Mad Caddies’ Rock the Plank and even a touch of Social Distortion. ‘All Hands on Deck’ is the perfect opener, setting the tone excellently. Then you have the likes of ‘One Last Toast’, the pretty heavy ‘Ballad of Woodenhand Sam’ and ‘Roll the Woodpile Down’ that are all personal highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad track throughout, the album has a great flow to it as every song plays perfectly off the last. It’s impossible not to have a fun time listening to this, and it’s a release that I’m already desperate to hear some live from! It’s a sound that, while does seem to be growing in popularity again, we certainly don’t have enough of around! It won’t be for everyone, but if you are at all curious, this is well worth giving a spin, you might love it as much as I did! I’m so glad the band returned to the studio for another release, and I can’t give this any less than 8.5/10. Great stuff!

Ural: Anthropic Generic Involution

Some more awesome thrash metal for us this week, this time curtesy of the Italian five-piece. This thing goes hard from start to finish, too. It’s just over half-an-hour of balls-to-the-wall riffing and drumming, with some damn catchy vocal moments and some tasty soloing to only add to the excellence. It’s like late 80s Exodus in the best way possible. All of the chanted backing vocals add a fantastic layer throughout, adding to the surprisingly melodic main vocals excellently. Single and opener ‘Extreme Paranoia’ is amazing, while tracks like ‘Wrong Children’ and ‘Terror Eyes’ are also huge highlights. Every song on this release is amazing in its own right, though and the 33 minutes goes by in a flash. As a thrash kid at heart, I absolutely loved this from start to finish, and the band certainly have a new fan in me! Check this out if you are at all interested, and it gets a very solid 9/10 from us!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Ella Langley, Lord of the Lost and More!

13th April 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A massive week of new releases for us to dive into today, from metal to country to rock! Let’s dive right in!

Ella Langley: Dandelion

This finally dropped this last Friday to a hell of a lot of hype behind it. Langley has become one of the biggest names in country the last couple of years, so there is no denying this will be one of the biggest releases in the genre in 2026. I, however, have a bit of an up-down relationship with her music. There is no denying her talents as a vocalist, songwriter and musician. However, I find her almost overall a little slow for my liking. I had the same sentiment with her last album; some of the tracks are incredible in their own right, but as an album it’s a lot of the same sort of thing and is a bit of a struggle to get through the full hour in one sitting.

Tracks like the title one, ‘Be Her’, ‘Bottom of Your Boots’ and ‘I Gotta Quit’ are honestly career highlights for Ella. The Miranda Lambert-featuring ‘Butterfly Season’ is also fantastic. Most of the rest of it, as good as it is in its own right, I wouldn’t necessarily hurry to revisit as much. However, as I’ve said, none of it is bad by any stretch, and if you are into her particular brand of noise, you’re gonna love it. I do believe it’s her strongest album to date, and I think you’d be hard pressed to find many that disagree! And, it’ll probably grow on me more with subsequent listens. Even with my criticisms, it’s still a solid release, and I’d check it out if you are at all into country music! For the sheer force of nature that this release is alone, I can’t give it any less than 8/10

Lord of the Lost: OPVS NOIR Vol. 3

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

Bilmuri: KINDA HARD

The former Attack Attack! clean vocalist has been making waves with his solo project in recent years, and the hype for this release has been pretty high. However, try as I might, I sadly just can’t get into it. It’s just generic pop music but with ch0nky guitars behind it. Like, it’s fine, but I struggle to think much more than that. The riffing is good, there are some okay hooks, and the sax from Gabi is a fantastic touch as always, but the songs themselves are kinda meh. Songs like ‘TWICE’ and the country-esque ‘BACK, THEN’ are personal highlights. But I found all the songs blended together; all being so painfully similar and pretty bland. It was wholly forgettable, nothing sticking with me after the songs ended. If you enjoyed it that’s awesome, and as I said it isn’t bad by any stretch. But I shan’t be coming back to this any time soon. 4/10

Julia Pratt/JULITH: This is a Kindness

This is a damn interesting collaboration between two alt-pop rising stars. It’s definitely very different to the rest of this list in terms of style, but was still a fun release and I’m glad I gave it a listen! Both women are insanely talented, and have crafted something really interesting and unique together. I also love whole album collabs, really pushing how far they can work together to fascinating results. ‘Monsters Out of Men’ was a personal favourite track, both lyrically and musically fantastically written. It’s something I’d happily revisit again and I’m curious to hear what the pair are like on their own. While I do some digging, though, this gets a 6.5/10 from us. Not typically my sort of thing but damn good for what it is!

Florence Black: POURING RAIN

One of my favourite modern bands dropped their highly anticipated third album this last Friday. No pressure, but their last was our album of the year back in 2024… I somehow haven’t had the time to check out the singles of this one though so am going in completely blind. Let’s hope they can keep up with their stellar track record!

This thing comes out swinging. ‘COLOURED IN’ is heavy and fucking awesome, the perfect tone-setter for the album. It’s rather indicative of the journey the band have been on in recent years. BED OF NAILS was darker and heavier than WEIGHT OF THE WORLD, and this release continues that evolution. They’re travelling closer to that early 2000s alt/industrial/nu metal sound, and I am all for it. At this rate, their next album will be fully Tetrarch!

The rest of the album follows the openers suit in fantastic fashion. ‘HALF THE WORLD AWAY’ is their heaviest track to date and is awesome. ‘LADYBIRD’ and ‘TAKE MY WORD’ are massive radio singles waiting to happen. The title track is an amazing ballad-like song, the albums ‘WARNING SIGN’. And that closer, DAMN. However, every track that I haven’t named is also awesome, trust me! It’s an incredible 40 minutes of hard rock/alt metal, and one that I’d recommend absolutely anyone reading this check out at least once!

While not quite as earth-shattering as their previous release, it’s still a damn solid entry into their absolutely stellar discography, and an album I’ll surely be spinning for months to come. 9/10

Tenille Townes: The Acrobat

The first album since 2022 from the country star, and it’s a surprisingly-short, beautiful release. It follows the lead of some of her most successful tracks in being stripped-back, acoustic-focused numbers. It’s 32 minutes of emotion-filled, folk/Americana infused pop-country, and it’s impossible not to love! Her voice is so unique and captivating, and the lyrics throughout are utterly fantastic. From ‘the acrobat’ to ‘enabling’ to ‘what’s meant for you’, there are some incredible highlights throughout. However, there isn’t a bad song on the release, honestly. Much like with Bilmuri above, it is all pretty similar, which sadly drops it a little, but it’s all great and a very easy album to listen through. It would have been nice to have had a few band bits smattered throughout, be it some drums or strings or even keys, but I completely understand why the album was so stripped back, given its lyrical theming. I will certainly be listening again, and can’t give it any less than 7.5/10!

Check out when we saw her live here!

Voidchaser: Interstellar I

The Canadian-Swedish prog metallers follow up their highly acclaimed 2025 sophomore album barely a year later with this, and do so absolutely spectacularly! The intro track sets the tone of the album perfectly, and leads into the absolutely phenomenal ‘Welcome to Terra Corp’ masterfully. It’s heavy, melodic and epic all in equal measure, and is a fantastic pace-setter for the rest of the album. Tracks like the Charlie Griffiths-featuring, heavy ‘Hyperconverter’ and the technical masterclass of ‘Ivory Tower’ are both also huge highlights. However, the whole album is amazing! It has a fantastic flow to it, nearly 50 minutes going by in a flash. And everything from the writing to the playing to the production to the storyline throughout is truly excellent. And can we just talk about that artwork? GODDAMN, *chefs kiss*. It’s all ripped straight from an 80s sci-fi fantasy, and I can’t get enough.

Check this out if you are at all interested. I’ll definitely be spinning it again, and am already hoping we are getting an Interstellar II, though given the theming I’d think maybe not. Still, I’ve at least got their previous two albums to dive into more alongside this, and I gets a very easy 9/10 from us!

Black Oak County: Misprint

Firstly, thank you to the amazing Glamrat for turning me onto these guys. Secondly, holy crap, this is AMAZING. To get the obvious out of the way; this is definitely like a heavier Nickelback. And that isn’t a bad thing at all! It’s essentially nearly a whole album of ‘Burn it to the Ground’; excellent, groove-metal-adjacent riffing, solid drumming and some of the best and catchiest vocal melodies out there. And I haven’t been able to get enough all weekend! It’s packed to the rafters with hit after hit, making it impossible to pick highlights. Heck, over half of it has ended up on my personal playlist. It’s an almost perfect 41 minutes of heavy rock music that I would recommend to absolutely anyone. For a first full alnum from them for me to check out, I couldn’t ask for anything better. I was already becoming a fan but this has solidified that as much as it could. The band are insanely talented musicians and songwriters, and how they aren’t massive already is beyond me. Hopefully this is the album to push them to that point, as it is truly a special release. I’ll be spinning it for months to come, and would imagine anyone who listens will be doing the same! An incredibly easy 9.5/10

As Everything Unfolds: DID YOU ASK TO BE SET FREE?

Album three from the post-hardcore Brits is a fantastic release! It’s heavy and radio-friendly in equal measure, as well as being such a modern sound. The band fit perfectly alongside everyone from Spiritbox to Jinjer to ADTR and Hot Milk, and I would honestly say this release is up there with some of the best from any of those bands. Right from the opener it kicked ass, and songs like ‘GASOLINE’, ‘CUT THE LIES’, ‘SET IN FLOW’ and ‘WHAT YOU WANTED’ are all massive other highlights. The whole album is excellent though, and 41-minutes surprisingly goes by in a flash! The band have already been gathering a lot of momentum as of recent, but I truly believe this release has what it takes to push them to the top of the heavy music world. I’m sometimes a little fussy when it comes to the genre, only liking it if it’s really good, and this is really damn good. This is my favourite thing the band have put out by quite a margin, and it gets a very solid 8.5/10 from us!

I Am the Avalanche: THE HORROR SHOW

The Brooklyn-based emo-punk/post-hardcore band are back with album number five, and their first in nearly six years. It’s a genre I am generally a little hot-and-cold with, but I had a good time listening to this! From the heavy title track to ‘I’M NOT DEAD’ to ‘TRUE LEGENDS NEVER DIE’, there are plenty of highlights. However, the album has a great vibe and flow to it throughout, and at half an hour in length it’s an incredibly easy listen! There’s some great riffing and melodies, and some of the lyrics are honestly phenomenal. It’s packed full of emotion, be it darkness or a more uplifting feel, and really takes the listener on a journey. Honestly, it grew on me more throughout and, with more listens, it could even continue to do so! It almost has a touch of a skate sound in here too at times, getting some vague nostalgic vibes out of me. If you are into any of the genres I’ve mentioned already, do yourselves a favour and check this out! I’ll be spinning it again soon, and it may grow on me even more then, but for now it gets a solid 7.5/10!

We Three Kings: Stone Cold Kiss

The NWOCR duo are back with their sophomore album, another punk/indie-infused powerhouse of a release. We loved their debut back in 2024, and honestly this is right up alongside it in terms of quality! It’s packed full of energy, attitude and swagger; massive riffs, solid drums and some great, catchy vocal lines. While all nine tracks on here are amazing, personal favourites include ‘Nothing Without Me’, ‘Judas Take me Home’ and ‘Shotgun’. It’s impossible not to have a good time listening, and it urges you to tap your feet, headbang and dance along. It’s an album I’ll be revisiting plenty in the weeks and months to come, and it goes hand in hand with By Royal Appointment as must-listens for anyone into the punkier side of rock ‘n’ roll. A solid 8/10 from us!

Broadside: Nowhere, At Last

Album number five from the pop-rockers is… certainly one of the albums released this week. I get that it’s not typically my sort of style to begin with, but there have been plenty of artists like this win me over (my obsession with One OK Rock springs to mind). It’s not a bad release by any means, and if you are into this sound you’ll probably love it. The vocals are great, and there are some catchy hooks and choruses throughout. Tracks like ‘Nowhere at Last’, ‘I Think They Know’ and ‘Dark Passenger’ are big highlights, and the latter two were great choices for singles. And while the rest of it is okay, it just feels a touch forgettable. I don’t know quite what’s stopping me from fully getting into it, maybe it’s just because others have done it better. It may grow on me with more listens, as it is a touch further through the first, and it’s at least inoffensive and easy to listen to. If you are at all interested, I’d definitely recommend giving it a spin and seeing for yourself! A tentative 7/10 from us, that could go up or down at any minute!

Pineland Moor: Self-Titled

The debut EP of the Finnish melodic metal quartet is the definition of all killer, no filler. It’s 18 minutes and four tracks of incredible talent, playing and songwriting. Whether it’s the opener or the proggy ‘Floating on Unknown’ or the excellent other two songs, it’s amazing from the very first note to the very last. I already want to hear more from them, but for now I am happy to just keep spinning this! If you are at all into the melodic side of metal, give this a spin ASAP, you won’t be disappointed! I can’t give it any less than 8/10

Mines: Nous

The second EP from the heavy rockers, finally following up their 2023 debut, this already hasn’t gotten nearly the love it deserves. It’s 20 minutes of phenomenal riffing and writing, as well as some really interesting vocal melodies and lyrics. I was hooked right from the opener, and ‘Vice of Kings’ may be up there with one of my favourite songs of the year so far. The whole EP is phenomenal though, a proggy, heavy masterclass in writing technical music. It’s right up my street, and has made me a massive fan of the band immediately. My gushing over it won’t do it the justice it deserves, just go and check it out and thank me later! It gives off vibes of everything from VOLA to Coheed to Devin, and I’m a little bit obsessed! 9.5/10, my only complaint is that it isn’t longer!

The Mechanist: Synthetic Sun

The debut album from the Yorkshire-based electronic-infused metalcorers goes hard. It’s equal parts ch0nky riffs and massive melodic cleans, as well as a healthy dose of crushing drums, screams and breakdowns for good measure. From ‘Engram’ to ‘Sungazing’ to the wonderfully chaotic, Adam Barkley featuring ‘Invasive Prosthetics’, there is so much to love here. However, if you are into modern metalcore, or even bordering on deathcore at times, this whole thing will be very much your sort of thing! I’ve spun it three times this weekend and it’s grown on me more and more each time! For a debut album it’s absolutely phenomenal, and a sign that this band are set to go far sooner rather than later. I need to see this live, but while I wait to do so will certainly keep listening to this pretty regularly. 8.5/10

Metal Church: Dead to Rights

After a rather massive lineup switch-up that has now brought us alumni of Flotsam and Jetsam, Vicious Rumours and Megadeth, the heavy metal titans are back with album 14. I remember enjoying their last album, and was pretty gutted to hear Lopes had been cut from vocal duties. However, Brian Allen kills it here, as do the rest of the band! It’s nearly 50-minutes of thrashy metal awesomeness, and is every bit as good as their fellow 80s counterparts also still releasing great new music. Single ‘F.A.F.O’ is a lot of fun, giving off ‘Toxic Waltz’ vibes, and the likes of ‘Deep Cover Shakedown’ and ‘Wasted Time’ are also massive highlights. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout. It more than lives up to not only their last album, but honestly the very best that they’ve put out over their nearly half-a-century careers. If you are at all a fan of the band or 70s/80s metal in any way, you have to check this out as soon as you can! The band feel rejuvenated with their latest incarnation, and I can’t give it any less than another solid 8.5/10!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Corrosion of Conformity, Charley Crockett and More!

6th April 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Another week, some more awesome new music for us to check out from across the spectrum. Let’s dive in!

Corrosion of Conformity: Good God / Baad Man

I’m hoping this album is a grower, not a shower. Unless what It’s showing is that Down should finally put out some new music again. The riffs are certainly there, and I liked a good bit of Pepper’s vocals, especially when he channeled his inner Mike Patton/Jello Biafra. However, something about it just didn’t hook me in, especially the opening few tracks. ‘The Handler’ was the first track that I found myself actively enjoying. Songs like ‘Lose Yourself’ and the bluesy ‘Handcuff County’ are also personal favourites. Honestly, the album was better later on when they leant into that side of their sound, with the opening half being a bit of a slog. As a fan of their 90s output, I much preferred their sludgy blues stuff to their experimental hardcore early sound, so did feel slightly let down when they didn’t get to their most popular grooviness until later on. While I get and appreciate what they were trying to do here, it didn’t really work for me, sadly. Also, this thing is over an hour in length; that’s just too long.

If you like all of their previous sounds, you’ll probably love this. However, if you like one over the other, you may get a bit of a culture shock with this release, like I did. As I said, it might grow on me more with more listens, and I do want to give it more of a chance in the coming months. Disc 2 (‘Baad Man’ onwards) is honestly awesome, and would have made an amazing 37 minute album. But I didn’t like much of Disc 1, so because of that, I give this a tentative 7.5/10. It could get higher with repeat listens, though!

Charley Crockett: Age of the Ram

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

Michael Sweet: The Master Plan

The first solo album in seven years from the Stryper main-man, this is an epic 40-minutes of AOR music! The opener/title track is some Genesis-level grandiose movie score type stuff. It also sets the tone perfectly for another nine soft rock bangers! ‘Lord’, the truly epic ballad ‘Eternally’ and ‘Faith’ are also big highlights, but there isn’t a bad song on here. It’s a bit… incredibly… preachy, which definitely drops it down a notch or two for me, but musically it is still damn good. Don’t get me wrong, It’s not Stryper, but It’s still good music if you’re into the likes of The Police or Foreigner or even Seal. And if you can get past all the god stuff (or you’re genuinely into that, of course!). It’s good music that I sadly probably won’t revisit often. However, it still gets a solid 7/10. It would definitely be higher if I god-bothered.

Foreignwolf: Merely Mortal

The second EP from the alt-metallers comes nearly five years after their last. Honestly, they really stepped up with this release too, this thing is 14 minutes of absolute awesomeness! ‘Tyrant’ is the perfect opener, metalcore excellence. Then you have the slower, more epic ‘Hollow’ heavy single ‘Imposter Syndrome’ and the post-hardcore, almost emo closer. Each track is as good as the last, all feeling different to each other while still sounding like the same band. It’s one hell of a testament to the bands stellar writing talents. And, it all flows fantastically together, making it a must-listen in full at least once. If you are into the heavier side of things, check this out ASAP. The band certainly have a new fan in me, and I already can’t wait to see where we go from here! 8.5/10

Nervosa: Slave Machine

Max: So this was my first time listening to Nervosa, and I must say, I was not disappointed. This is a very solid album with an intensity that keeps you hooked through out with bouncing riffs that are simply fun. There is also a nice balance of melodic sections and filthy, intense moments so the album is able to appeal to a multitude of people whilst not disappointing anyone. From what I have read, this is only the second album since their current vocalist and founding member Prika Amaral took up the role, and it really is a great album so I will be sure to check out their previous album as well. a very solid 8.5/10!

Emma Harner: Evening Star

The debut album from the ‘math folk’ rising star is a beautiful, chilled out 36 minutes of acoustic-based music. While not strictly my sort of thing, there is no denying her talents as a musician and a songwriter. Tracks like the epic-building ‘Charlotte’ and ‘Cowboys Chords’ are standouts for me. However, if you are into this sort of style, It’s all an excellent journey and listen. In the nicest and most complimentary way possible, it is sad white girl music. So, if that resonates with you, this is well worth a listen! It’s not something I’d revisit often, but certainly wouldn’t turn it off if it was on again! A still-solid 6.5/10 from us, and I’m curious to hear where she goes from here.

Toxic Shock: Future is Calling

Max: I’ll be clear, I didn’t like this at all. It’s not a genre I particularly like and whilst this album is far from the worst thing ever, it doesn’t change my perspective. It not an objectively bad album by any means, I just found it very boring. The first few tracks were good they gave me hope but the last few tracks really weren’t great, and the last track in particular, “Sex Beat”, just didn’t land with me at all. I can’t give it any more than a 5/10

Enquire Within: Doomsday Profit

The UK metallers are back with a follow-up to their absolutely stellar 2024 EP, and I for one have been damn excited since I first heard about it! And honestly, it lives up to my hype for it. This thing is fucking awesome! All nine tracks on it are excellent too, making it almost impossible to pick highlights. It has a great flow to it as every song feels unique enough to keep it interesting throughout, while still all feeling distinctly Enquire Within. Having said that, the modern Machine Head-like ‘Rebellion’ definitely has my heart! From the solid drumming to the amazing riffing and breakdowns to both the harsh and clean vocals, it’s all fantastic, and kept me hooked throughout! The band are really making waves in the underground scene, and with output like this It’s incredibly easy to hear why. If you are at all into the heavier stuff, from alt metal to metalcore to melodeath, this is an absolute must-listen! A very easy 9/10 from us!

No Terror in the Bang: Existence

Following up their 2024 album, the French prog metallers go hard with this five song collection! I wasn’t familiar with them heading in, but they immediately have a HUGE new fan in me! ‘Moon’ was the perfect opener, having me hooked in from the start and not letting me go for the full 20 minutes of the EP. The heavy ‘Goat’ and the epic closer are also big highlights, but every track on this is amazing in its own right. It’s clearly inspired by the likes of Jinjer but, honestly, I enjoy this even more, evolving that sound and taking it to new heights! I honestly can’t get enough of this release, and it’s insane to me that they aren’t a much bigger name already. Check this out if you are at all interested; it isn’t long and shows off exactly what the band is about. Another solid 8.5/10

Luke Grimes: Red Bird

The second album from the rising country start, we actually loved his debut in 2024. Sadly, this one is taking a little more getting into. Don’t get me wrong, songs like the opener and ‘Drink Drink Drink’ are great, and the beautiful duet of ‘Without You’ is also damn memorable. However, a lot of the rest of it is pretty slow overall, a folk/Americana/classical sound. Don’t get me wrong, his self-titled album is also pretty slow and similar at times, but I think overall there’s a bit more to it, or at the very least it’s longer so there’s more room for varied sounds. And from memory even the slower tracks felt like they had a bit more to them, a slight more of a radio hook. I enjoyed Red Bird, but outside of the aforementioned songs it just makes me want to listen to his other stuff. If you want a chilled folky album to throw on and relax to, this is absolutely that. It’s also packed full of plenty of emotion, which is always great to hear. As I said, it isn’t a bad release at all, but is a bit of a tough second album. Hopefully it grows on me with more listens, but for now I can’t give it any more than 7/10

Codefendants: LIFERS

This is 30 minutes of glorious, 90s-inspired chaos, and I loved every second! From punk to hip-hop to hardcore to metal, the band very much wear their inspiration on their sleeve, and it’s amazing to hear it all blended together like this. ‘Crime Wave’, is apparently how they’re describing their genre, which honestly kinda fits. I somehow missed their debut back in 2023, but this sophomore album is a lot of fun, and a real breath of fresh air from Fat Mike, Sam King and Ceschi Ramos. Heck, I even got touches of modern, MCR-like emo in there in the slower, more ballad-tracks. From ‘Rivals’ to the pop-punk ‘Crime Wave’ to ‘The Right Wrong Man’, there are some massive highlights on here. However, the album has a fantastic flow to it that makes it an easy full listen, and none of the songs are bad.

It’s nostalgic for me, growing up with all the sounds individually, yet still feels like something wholly new and interesting. If you’re a fan of stuff a bit more out there, but still with some attitude, edge and something to say, this is very much the album for you! I’ll be listening to it a lot moving forward, and already it gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!

Shelby Stone: Silveryear

The debut album from the emerging Texas red dirt country singer-songwriter dropped this last Friday, and is a full 71-minutes of greatness! She combines typical darker country with a heavier rock edge perfectly, arguably more successfully than bigger names who attempt it like Brantley Gilbert and Koe Wetzel. Heck, the epic opener sets the tone for this perfectly, building to a massive, metal-boardering soundscape that rivals that of DOROTHY or The Pretty Reckless, as much as the earlier stages are more Bridge City Sinners. It’s an absolutely phenomenal track that had me hooked from the get go. From there, ‘Killing Time’ continues the vibe perfectly, adding a bit more country to the proceedings, and ‘Burns Blue’ being an early up-tempo banger. Then you have the likes of ‘This Time Around’, ‘Fire Escape’ and the boot-stompin’ ‘Dynamite’ that are all massive highlights in their own right. However, not only is there not a bad song throughout, the extended length goes by in a flash, a true testament to Stone’s insane talent as a musician and songwriter! While it maybe had one or two too many slower tracks in a row at times, Shelby’s powerful vocals and emotional lyrics still kept it all incredibly interesting.

As you can tell, I can’t rave about this release enough! This is an absolutely incredible album that has made Stone a massive new fan in me. How she isn’t an absolutely massive name already is beyond me. She straddles the line between country, rock and even modern pop seamlessly, and has crafted something truly special with this release. I’ll be spinning it plenty moving forward, and I can’t give it any less than 9.5/10. Amazing stuff!

Features, Reviews

Phoenix Lake and Friends Rock Saltbox!

5th April 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Nottingham locals Phoenix Lake headlined a packed line up at Saltbox, hot off the release of their debut album ‘Seraphina: The Fall From Eden’. Friday night drew a good crowd to the bar-venue in Nottingham, and with four bands taking the stage that evening it wasn’t long before that crowd
got energetic.

Opening the night and getting room on the right level were 7eventh Sea, another Nottingham based metalcore band with heavy riffs and high energy breakdowns. Their thirty minute set was impressive from start to finish, their track ‘Falsified Dreams’ was a particular standout from the set. Vocalist Stee Owen had a commanding stage presence and skilled vocals to back it up, and drummer Aaron Gregory was incredibly tight throughout the dynamic and technical set. Fans of Lorna Shore and While She Sleeps keep an eye on these lads over the next few years.

With the room filling as more people arrive, Aethoria took the stage next. Hailing from Ipswich this hard rock group are a perfect accompaniment to headliners Phoenix Lake. Very similar in style and sound, but with their own attitude and a good hit with the crowd in the room. After some initial technical problems with the microphone, vocalist Mecia had the room in the palm of her hands for the rest of their time on stage. A confident band with a solid sound, raising the energy once again in the room.

The crowd are raring to go by this point two solid sets down and two bands left to perform, next up: Black Lakes from South Wales. Entering the stage draped in black cloaks and kilts alike the
five piece metal group started strong with some high energy tracks. It appeared a good portion of the crowd were fans and had come down to check them out, and their energetic frontman knew how to play to the crowd well. While they performed well I think due to the strong showings of the other bands Black Lakes were the weakest set of the night. Their strong start felt like it waned as the set progressed, leaving me expecting more of a band this high in the billing.

Any feelings of disappointment were quickly dispelled when headliners Phoenix Lake took the stage. Coming out to a roaring crowd the Nottingham band felt the hometown love in Saltbox as they tore into their hour long set. Vocalist Lana Phillis doesn’t have to rely on just her impressive vocal talents to hold her own on stage with the rest of the band, interacting seamlessly with the crowd and letting the other band members take their moments to shine. A healthy dose of tracks off the new album was to be expected as the band tours the UK to promote its release.

Luckily for us the album is brilliant and the new songs sound great live. The group obviously revelled in having a home town crowd show so much support, it will be great to see what lofty heights the four piece can reach off the back of the album. Phoenix Lake are on the road around the UK throughout April and the beginning of May, be sure to check them out as they rightfully show off what they have created together! A truly amazing night packed full of incredible music!

Written by Owen Hathaway.

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Black Label Society, Ty Myers and More!

30th March 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

Another massive week for New Music Mondays, with plenty of releases for us to check out across rock, metal and country (and also some pop for good measure)!

Black Label Society: Engines of Demolition

The first album from the legendary biker metallers in a whopping five years, it marks the longest gap between releases the band have ever had. Obviously Zakk has been busy with Ozzy stuff over the last few years, so it’s more than understandable. However, this is a very welcome return! I’ve been a fan of the band for honestly as long as I can remember, and remember enjoying Doom Crew Inc. when it dropped. Honestly though, this may be even better than that! Of course the guitaring throughout is off the charts, the riffing and soloing is expectedly excellent. However, the whole band are playing great across every track, and there’s plenty of catchy, memorable memories alongside them. From ‘Gatherer of Souls’ to single ‘Broken and Blind’ to ‘Pedal to the Floor’, it’s packed full of a great songs! It’s sludgy and doomy and heavy; it’s exactly what you’d expect from a BLS album. However, we still get a slower, ballad track in ‘Back to Me’ tucked in the middle, just as good as the others! It’s maybe a touch long at 50+ minutes, but there aren’t really any tracks that I’d cut. It’s a fun heavy metal album that I’ll definitely be revisiting again soon! 8/10

Ty Myers: Heavy on the Soul

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

Chez Kane: Reckless

Album three from the 80s glam throwback woman is one I’ve been impatiently waiting for since she first announced it, and it’s every bit as good as I’d hoped for! Powerzone was awesome a few years ago, and I still spin it to this day, and this builds on everything that was great about that album and turns it up to 11. It’s 41 minutes of arena-filling off power-ballads, dripping in synth and swagger. The opener/title track sets the tone excellently, and tracks like ‘Strip Me Down’, ‘Love Tornado’ and ‘Street Survivor’ all carry on that energy amazingly. However, there really isn’t a bad track throughout, and it has a really excellent flow to it all! It’s catchy, sleazy and incredibly horny in all the best ways, making for one hell of a fun listen. None of these tracks would sound at all out of place on the Rock of Ages musical, and I’m so glad people like Chez and Sam Millar are continuing on this vibe!

If you are at all into the 80s Sunset Strip sound, this is an absolute must of an album. It’s certainly going to have me hooked for months again, and it’s insane to me that she isn’t a bigger name given her insane talent! Every chorus is massive and so very catchy, just begging to be played to huge festival crowds as well as neon-soaked dive bars. And shoutout to her band too, who kill it just as much as she does! I feel like it will continue to grow on me with more listens somehow, even though I’d easily put a good half of these up there alongside her biggest hits. I can’t give it any less than another solid 9/10!

Flea: Honora

I didn’t know what to expect from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassists debut solo album. Somehow, experimental jazz-funk both was and wasn’t it. Either way, sadly this is pretty bad. I’ve been thinking for a few months now that I want to try and get into jazz because I feel I’d enjoy it. Then I hear ‘Morning Cry’ and all that goes out the window. And don’t even get me started on his spoken word nonsense on ‘A Plea’. It feels like Flea felt it sounded like Zack de La Rocha, but it came across far more Lulu. And, on top of that, this thing is 50 MINUTES LONG. That’s a lot of crap. Heck, there may be someone out there that is really into this and loves it, but that someone certainly isn’t me. Not even Nick Cave could save this thing, it’s a mess, and a slog. At least everyone involved is at least talented, even if, in this writers opinion, it’s not fantastically written. You can tell Flea’s playing a mile away, and some of his basslines are at least fun. The slower ‘Thinkin Bout You’ is probably the most enjoyable song. Hell, at least it’s better than the last couple of RHCP albums, right…? 2.5/10, not my thing at all. At least it’s finally over.

Whey Jennings: Baptized by Fire

Some real old-school country now, with the grandson of legend Waylon himself putting out his second studio album. It’s 40 minutes of classic country tracks, just like his granddaddy played, but also gives slight vibes of Drake White or even Drew Holocomb too for good measure! Tracks like ‘What Lovin’ You Does’, his duet with Karen Waldrup and ‘Copperheads and Butterflies’ are all personal highlights. However, if you like a traditional style, you’ll love every track of this, I’m sure! His vocals are awesome, and his lyrics and delivery are packed full of emotion. It’s exactly what you’d expect heading into it, and I personally had a great time listening to it. He’s continuing on his family legacy perfectly here, and it gets a solid 7/10 from us!

Mallavora: What if Better Never Comes?

This has one I’ve been hyped for for a while! It was part of our most anticipated albums of 2026 list, and we’ve loved them for a while now. So, no pressure!

To say it lives up to the hype is an understatement! It’s heavy, melodic and packed full of awesome melodies and emotion. ‘Smile’ opens things perfectly, having some truly brutal screams and breakdown riffs, as well as a more alt chorus. Then you have songs like ‘Birth of a Sun’, ‘Skin’ and the closer/title track that are all also excellent. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout, everything around these tracks also being pretty good. It’s like Spiritbox meats Hot Milk in the best way possible! And, having said that, I would say some of the writing here, both lyrically and riff-wise, is arguably better than both bands. All four of these guys are extremely talented musicians and songwriters!

There’s no wonder the band have gone from strength to strength in recent years in the UK, and this album caps that off wonderfully, but also surely starts a band new, even bigger chapter for the quartet. If you are at all into the alt/modern metal scene, this release is an absolute must! It’s impossible not to see huge things for them in the years to come, and this gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!

Hellripper: Coronach

Max: An 8 track, 45 minute adventure that keeps you gripped and having fun throughout. The latest Hellripper album really is a work of art, the riffs, screams, well to be honest really everything is very very good. Now don’t worry I’m not going to say that this is the best album ever and that Hellripper has perfected their craft but what I am saying is, if you have ever held off on listening to Hellripper because you weren’t sure if you were going to enjoy it, well now’s your time to start listening. Honestly there wasn’t a single track that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy and I really think its a great set of tracks. 9/10

Will Carter Band: WCB

Album number four from Mr Carter, though it seems second as a collective, is a fantastic throwback to the late 90s early 2000s alt country sound! Think Hootie & The Blowfish, Blake Shelton or even Matchbox Twenty. Right from opener ‘Don’t Need Much’ I was hooked on this thing, and tracks like ‘X’s on my Hands’, ‘Can’t Sleep Without You’, and ‘Ain’t All That Lonely’ are all huge personal highlights. The whole thing is excellent from start to finish, though, it having a great flow and going by in a flash. How these guys aren’t a bigger name by this point I have no idea, but if anything is right with the world this will be the release that puts them on the mainstream radar! It’s fun yet at the same time packed full of emotion, the whole thing being written expertly. If you are at all into county or southern rock, this is an absolute must listen. Easily an 8.5/10, and it may grow on me even more with more listens!

RiotWeekend: Table4Four

The sophomore EP from the UK alt-rockers/pop-punkers builds perfectly on their 2022 self-titled debut. It’s 14 minutes of fun, catchy rock music that fits perfectly in alongside anyone from Simple Plan to Paramore to even ADTR! Heck, we get a breakdown in ‘Harry’, which was unexpected awesomeness! What’s more, all four tracks are as good as each other, it being an incredibly solid release from front-to-back! And it’s pretty varied too, each song having a different vibe and pace to it while all still feeling distinctly RiotWeekend. It’s a true talent to be able to write like that, and the band have shown it off perfectly twice now! This is a damn good EP, and one I will definitely be spinning plenty moving forward. 8/10!

Check out our interview with the band about the release here!

RAYE: THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.

An album that isn’t something that we’d usually cover up now. Having said that, we’d done everything from Bruno Mars to Eminem to Lady Gaga in recent years, and this very much channels that similar alt-pop vibe to it. And heck, I was listening to it anyway, so figured I might as well write out my thoughts!

Firstly, she’s such a talented, fascinating artist, and it‘s easy to hear why she’s become such a big name in a short amount of time. Perfectly blending everything from pop to jazz, soul to R&B, it’s a truly unique sound and such good fun to listen to. And, it’s packed full of awesome songs! From the excellent, emotional opener ‘I Will Overcome.’ to the epic ‘I Know You’re Hurting.’ to the swinging ‘I Hate the Way I Look Today.’ to the huge single ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”, there is a lot to love throughout. A lot of it is amazing though and, though it definitely feels its bloated length, it’s a chilled-yet-emotional listen that held my attention a lot throughout. Arguably the only full disappointment was ‘Click Clack Symphony.’, I thought having the legendary Hans Zimmer involved would have produced something a bit more epic and interesting and dynamic. However, overall it is an epic release, and well worth the time if you have a spare 73 minutes! I probably won’t do the full thing often, but the few songs I loved will be on regular rotation! 7/10

The Pale White: Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century

Max: So this one was strange for me, it is quite far from what I normally listen to so at first I have to say I didn’t really enjoy it that much. Its fine, its easy to listen to, but not really for me. By my third time listening, I think I started to get it a bit more. There is this fun blend of styles and feelings throughout. The melancholic tone that some parts have can really hit you in the feelings but then the bouncing alt riffs and grooving bass and drums bring you back up. it really is a roller coaster that I ended up really enjoying. For a track recommendation, I would say either ‘Float Away’, or my favourite which is ‘Mannequin’ (I don’t know how to put in to words the feeling it gives, it’s something that I think you need to experience with no input from the outside). 9.5/10 (really its good)

Final Coil: 1994

Following up their 2024 album, the bands first foray into EP territory is a lot of fun! It’s very much a product of the year it’s about, full of grunge and alt-metal energy and riffs. ‘Instant Fix’ is a great opener, and the Rob Zombie-like ‘Woke’ is another career highlight. However, each of the four songs is awesome, and flow together perfectly. From the riffing to the drums to the vocals, it’s all amazing! If you are a fan of the band this is well worth checking out, and is a great stop-gap (hopefully!) between longer releases. A solid 7.5/10 from us!

Ashley Monroe: Dear Nashville

An eight-track surprise drop from the modern country star on Friday has given us a great listen over the weekend! And, it’s a pretty honest, heart-felt and reflective listen, at that. Starting the release with a song titled ‘I Hate Nashville’ is a ballsy move in 2026, and it is a huge highlight of the album. Then you have songs like ‘Haunted’ and ‘Having it Bad’ which are also big personal highlights. It’s another release that follows her slower, chilled-out country vibe, much like with last year’s Tennessee Lightning. It’s very Paula Cole or Miranda Lambert in all the best ways. It’s not something I’d revisit often, but is perfect for throwing on and relaxing to, especially in the coming summer months! And that first song really is an excellent track, up there alongside her hits, thanks for sure. 7/10, good stuff!

Party Cannon: Subjected to a Partying

The crazy Scottish death metallers returned with a brand new EP (alongside some remixes and lives) this last Friday. It’s exactly what you’d expect from the band, or if you heard the words ‘classic death metal’. It’s like if Cannibal Corpse kept Barnes but had more modern production these days. If all of that sounds like your sort of thing, definitely give this a spin. As I’m sure you can tell by my dancing around the subject, it isn’t hugely mine. I honestly kinda preferred the remixes to the original tracks, though do have to say the vocals over the top of them may have been fun! And honestly, it seems like something I’d much prefer live, the recordings from Glasgow sounding awesome. But yeah, sadly on track it isn’t too much of my thing, as fun and hilarious as the themes are. Still, if you like old-school death metal, this is well worth a spin! It’s run, regardless, but the vocals sadly don’t do much for me. 6/10

Siege Perilous: Becoming the Dragon

The debut album from the epic, Colorado-based power metallers is a true journey from start to finish. From soaring melodies to insane harmonised guitars to the solid drumming and powerful vocals, it’s 44-minutes of grandiose heavy metal through and through! ‘As the Dragon Falls’ (feat. the awesome Fabio Lione) is a huge high point of the album, as is ’Chieftain’ and the epic closing track. It reminds me a lot of Fellowship or even Dragonforce, that epic huge power metal built more for its huge moments and soundscapes. The band are insanely good songwriters, and for this to be a debut album makes it feel like we have some truly special things to come in the next few years! They’re ones to watch, for sure! However, for now, this is an excellent release for anyone into the genre even a little bit! 7.5/10

Numbskull Narrative: The Gutters

The brand new EP from Galway’s own ‘noisy boys’ is three awesome heavy, hardcore-tinged tracks. From the sludgy breakdown riffs to the heavy screams, there are some incredible moments throughout, and at only nine minutes it is very much all killer, no filler! I’m always a bit on the fence with modern hardcore stuff, but the heavier edge to this definitely won me over! Some of the playing actually reminded me of Zakk Wylde or Dimebag, which was awesome to hear with this sort of drums accompanying it! It’s impossible to pick highlights as all three are great in their own right. The band definitely have a new fan in me, and this gets an easy 8/10 from us!

Calder Allen: Fault Lines

Album three from the fifth generation Texan is a short, chilled romp through some beautiful old-school country music. At only eight tracks long it goes by in a flash, and each song perfectly bleeds into the next. Highlights include the rocky title track, ‘Carry On’ and ‘Norwood County Line’. But, as I said, each song blends seamlessly together, and none of them are bad by any stretch! The more I listened to this, the more I fell in love. It’s a damn good country/Americana album that reminds me of everything from Drew Holcomb to Luke Dick to even hints of Jack Johnson. He’s another artist that has a new fan in me this week, and I can guarantee that if you check this out, you’ll enjoy it as much as I do! It’ll be an album I revisit plenty throughout the year, especially over summer, and I can’t give it any less than 9/10!

Rain Diary: Night Church

This gothic collective are back with their first new studio release in a while, and honestly sound better than ever! The title track sets the moody-yet-catchy tone perfectly, and every track that follows it fits thematically fantastically, and is great in its own right. It all feels like one art piece instead of individual tracks, though ‘Dark Flowers’ and ‘End of the World’ are personal favourites. It’s hard to even compare it to other artists, as it feels like something wholly unique, which made it an incredibly easy listen despite the length! Each member of the band are insanely talented, with the two vocals of course being the big highlight. It won’t be for everyone, but I had a good time listening to this, and it’s a solid 8/10!

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Luke Combs, Exodus and More!

23rd March 2026 Overtone Leave a comment

A more chilled out but still great week for new music this time. Join us as we check out everything from rock to metal to country!

Luke Combs: The Way I Am

The first release from the second-biggest country star in the world in 18 months and, to my honest shock, there’s some rock to this! After 2024’s Fathers & Sons, and to a lesser extent his 2022 and 2023 twofer albums, I didn’t expect him to ever go back to his more southern rock-infused roots but damn, I’m glad I was proven wrong! Opener ‘Back in the Saddle’ sets the tone perfectly, both sound wise and thematically. Songs like ‘My Kinda Saturday Night’, ‘Alcohol of Fame’ and ‘Can’t Tell Me I’m Wrong’ also carry on that energy perfectly! Even some of the slower, ballad-like tracks like ‘Miss You Here’ and ‘Wish Upon a Whiskey’ are definite album highlights.

However, as I’m sure you can tell by how many songs I just named already, this thing is too damn long. screw the algorithm, 73 minutes is too long for one album, especially when a lot of it is slower paced stuff. If this was even as much as half its length, it’d be up there as one of the best country releases of the year. But there is just way too much filler on here for it to be a solid album throughout. It was at least arranged well, with there being good songs spread throughout and me not getting bored for long. But it’s not an album as a whole I’ll be revisiting often, even if it is my favourite release from Mr Combs in seven years. If you are a fan of the guy or his brand of country music, this is well worth checking out, but be prepared to spend a while on it! It’s a solid 7/10 for now, and it could still grow on me with more listens!

Exodus: Goliath

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

Tyketto: Closer to the Sun

Another of our most anticipated albums of the year, and it certainly lives up to our hype! It’s nearly 50 minutes of catchy, fun AOR music, and a release I’d recommend to anyone! It’s also packed full of highlights, from ‘Starts with a Feeling’ to ‘Donnowhuddidis’ to ‘Closer to the Sun’ and ‘Hit Me Where it Hurts’. However, there truly isn’t a bad song throughout! How the world has managed to wait a full decade between studio albums I don’t know, but the 90s rockers show that they haven’t lost a step in that time. Danny’s vocals are still incredible, and the rest of the band are firing on all cylinders when it comes to both playing and writing. Plus,the production on the release is really top notch, everything being clear and shining through perfectly. If you are at all a fan of the band, I’d definitely recommend giving this a spin. There isn’t much more I can say apart from that it’s a damn good-time listen! It gets a very easy 8.5/10 from us!

Follow the Signs: Evolve

The new EP from the Irish metalcore band goes hard from start to finish, and I LOVE it. From the more 2000s sound of the opener to the Architects-like ‘Call to Rise’ to the epic title track, it’s all SO GOOD. However, the other two tracks are just as good as the one I’ve mentioned, too. It’s an absolutely incredible 16 minutes of heavy-meets-melodic metal music, and one I can’t recommend enough to anyone even slightly into the genre. How these guys aren’t bigger by now I don’t know, especially with two albums under their belts too. However, this follows Conflictions perfectly, and very much feels like a bold new chapter for the band! An incredibly easy 9/10 from us, great stuff!

Night Thieves: Metaxis

The highly anticipated debut album from the UK alt metallers dropped this last Friday. I remember loving their EP a couple of years back, and this continues that vibe and energy perfectly! They’re the perfect blend of Coheed and Cambria, Atreyu and Ward XVI, and it makes for an incredibly fun listen throughout. Tracks like ‘Mycelia’, ‘Running ‘(Out of Time)’ and ‘The Game’ are all personal highlights, but there really isn’t a bad song throughout. Oh, and Jessie Powell kills it on her feature on ‘See You on the Otherside’, her style perfectly meshing with Night Thieves’. The whole album has a fantastic flow and energy through it, 34-minutes going by in the blink of an eye. Heck, I didn’t even notice the transition between the two parts of ‘In Between’, that’s how well put together this is! It’s the perfect blend of heavy, melodic and radio-friendly, and I’d recommend it to absolutely anyone! I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10, and will definitely be spinning this plenty moving forward!

The Dandy Warhols: Pin Ups

Owen: American band The Dandy Warhols bring us something slightly diﬀerent this week, ‘Pin Ups’ is the latest addition to their discography and is a collection of 17 cover tracks from the bands favourite and most influential songs to their career. Taking its name from David Bowie’s 1973 cover album, ‘Pin Ups’ takes on some impressive songs mainly from the 70s and 80’s as well as a couple of curveballs. Including tracks from, The Beatles, Marilyn Manson, Bob Dylan, The Cure, New York Dolls, and many more. Each track honours the original whilst still allowing The Dandy Warhols to put their own spin on the song. Only time will tell if any of these covers will cement themselves and stand on their own two feet; its rare for covers to take on a new life with a new artist but it does happen, and fans of the band will certainly enjoy hearing the choices made with each track. Cover albums will always feel like a bit of a filler or a stop-gap, whilst this is a fun exploration of the bands influences I’m sure fans will be expecting some new original work from the group sooner rather than later. 7.5/10

Evermore: Mournbraid

Some truly epic power metal up next. Album number three from the Swedish six-piece, it builds on the bands legacy perfectly. Each band member plays and works their ass off through the full 50 minutes of this, and the result is something truly special. From ‘Underdark’ to ‘Titans’, ‘Armored Willi’ to the closer/title track, it’s all excellent! It reminds me of Hammerfall or even Maiden or Priest to an extent, but a heavier version of both. It’s that heaviness that makes it even better too, not fitting into the typical power metal mould but feeling pretty unique. It’s still got the huge, uplifting, arena-filled choruses, but also has plenty of thrash drumming and some blistering riffs and solos to boot. And I think the production helps took, making everything feel and sound MASSIVE. There isn’t a bad song throughout, and it’s an album that is well worth listening to in full at least once. It’s yet another fantastic album for this week, and another easy 8.5/10!

Poison the Well: Peace in Place

The melodic hardcore titans are back with their first album in almost two decades, and the first release since their 2020 reunion. Due to their long drought and years active, I wasn’t really familiar with them heading in. However, they definitely have a new fan in me, that’s for sure! This is 42-minutes of pure anger, aggression and moodiness, and I am down with every second of it. While ‘Primal Bloom’ and single ‘Weeping Tones’ are definite personal highlights, the whole album has a great flow to it, and is certainly worth a listen in full! The band are clearly talented, and do the heavy-sad thing to perfection. If you are into the heavier side of emo, this is definitely an album you need to check out immediately! Though moody, it’s a good fun listen, and gets a solid 7.5/10 from us!

Axel Rudi Pell: Ghost Town

The brand new solo album from the German guitarist continues his run of regular, excellent releases! It doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything like that, being a similar brand of vaguely AOR-infused NWOBHM that he’s been putting out since his Steeler days. However, it’s a great album in its own right, just like his previous works. From the title track to ‘Hurricane’ to ‘Steps of Stone’, there is plenty to love throughout. It is maybe a touch long at nearly an hour, especially when it’s all a vaguely similar, plodding pace, but there isn’t a track that I’d happily cut from it! If anyone is a fan of old-school Priest or Michael Schenker, this is absolutely an album for you! It’s not something I’d revisit often, but I had a good time listening and it’s certainly a damn good release, up there alongside Axel’s upper tier. 7/10

Atlus: Art of Letting Go

The label debut from the fast-rising country star continues the momentum built by last years EP perfectly. Setting aside the fact that all 18 minutes of that release take up 1/3rd of this one, there are still some amazing new tracks to sink your teeth into, too. ‘Hold my Liquor’, ‘Sounds Like Alcohol’ and ‘Roses’ are up there alongside ‘Secondhand Smoke’ as top tracks, in my opinion! It’s just damn good country-pop, and the whole 45-minutes is incredibly easy to listen to, going by in a flash. It’s easy to see why he’s becoming such a big name. He’s an incredible songwriter, seamlessly infusing emotion and great lyrics into catchy pop hooks. While not typically my sort of style, Atlus does it in a way that is constantly hooking me in, and I’ll certainly be revisiting this release more than once in the coming weeks. A damn solid 8/10 from us!

Stonetrip: The Fight

Following up on their 2023 debut album, this EP brings together the Australian rockers’ single output since then, adding on a fourth track for good measure. All four tracks are amazing too, all as good as the last! It’s pop-infused alt rock, but also has some great blues and hard rock moments throughout too! It’s just a lot of fun throughout, blending together so many different sounds and even decades. ‘Beautiful You’ is probably my favourite, but every track on this is amazing, honestly! The Australian rock scene is proving time and time again recently that it’s still one of the best in the world, and this release is a great example of that! This is a great EP that immediately leaves me wanting more, and has earned the band a big new fan in me. Another incredibly solid 8/10 from us!

Morgan Evans: Steel Town

Owen: Australian country singer Morgan Evans brings us his third studio album ‘Steel Town’. Following Evans’ divorce from US singer Kelsea Ballerini the album is described as a journey through the stages of grief experienced. The album opens with the title track a love letter to Evans’ hometown of Newcastle, New South Wales, followed by the promotional single released in October 2025 ‘Beer Back Home’ which brings up the nostalgic feelings of returning to your hometown. The tone starts to shift as we move further into the album with songs like ‘Two Broken Hearts’ and ‘Another Drink Coming” as we start to hear more of the dark sides of Evans’ experience. The rest of the album is much of the same.

Ultimately, the album feels quite flat, especially with Evans stating this was a cathartic exercise for processing a divorce. It’s clear Evans has some talent with song writing but this album sounds like every other mass-produced country album released in the past 5 years, and yes even though he is an Australian native of course there’s a song about Texas on this album. I can’t help but feel there is a missed opportunity here to do things diﬀerently, show us a side of country music without Nashville influence. 5/10

Misty Route: Ethos

The sophomore album from the Greek alt metallers comes a whopping five years after their debut, yet they prove that this was easily worth the wait! It’s packed full of killer riffing and some truly catchy vocal hooks and melodies. It also feels pretty prog at times, at least in a kinda post-Tool way. Right from opener ‘Hail’ I was hooked, taken on a 40 minute journey of epicness. It’s truly impossible to pick individual highlights too as it’s all so good and flows together perfectly! Honestly I can’t rave about this band enough, and if you are even slightly into the genre or styles I’ve mentioned above, check this out ASAP. The band have a massive new fan in me, and I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here. For now though, I’ll be spinning this plenty in the weeks and months to come. 9/10, amazing stuff!

Tyler Nance: Midwest Memoir

The highly anticipated debut album from the neo-traditional country rising star is every bit as good as the praise being heaped on it! I fell in love with this thing from the opener, and it just kept blowing me away the more I listened. Put it this way; out of the 16 individual tracks on it, nine of them ended up on my personal playlist. Yep, it’s that solid throughout. It’s 50 minutes that doesn’t feel it’s length at all. It feels like the perfect blend of so many different artists, from Ian Munsick to Zach Bryan to Koe Wetzel, but then also feels wholly unique at the same time. It’s packed full of great instrumentation and moments, catchy melodies and plenty of emotional weight, making everything feel massive. And plus, all three (five?) of the guests kill it, adding so much to the tracks they are on, making them even more memorable.

This album is an absolute must for any country, Americana or indie-folk fan out there. It’s easy to see why he’s such a big name already and is only just putting out a debut album now. 9.5/10, WOW.