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new music mondays

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

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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!

Reviews

WROC: Paul Gilbert’s First Solo Venture Since Mr Big’s End!

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The guitar virtuoso himself is back with his first solo album in nearly three years. Being a big fan of Mr Big, I’ve been excited for this since it first came across our emails, though I have to say I haven’t listened to much of his solo stuff in the past. We could be in store for anything! But still, if it’s anything like his band projects, we’re in for something special. Let’s dive right in and see what this is like!

Showing off his insane guitar talented right from the offset with some insane soloing, a great riff soon bursts in to start ‘Keep Your Feet Firm and Even’ off strong. The vocals soon come over the top and is surprisingly catchy for a verse! And still, it all builds to a HUGE chorus, the harmonies making it even bigger. It hooked me immediately and I already expect it to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day. We also get some more absolutely insane, blistering soloing tucked away in the middle of this. I love it dropping down to simple bass and drums to really highlight the guitar more, and builds up steadily again into the stomping stuff for the final parts. I love the melody of the main riff coming back as a solo too, real masterful playing and writing. And another big final chorus and solo takes us home in style. A fantastic way to open the album, and an easy early-album highlight!

‘Show Not Yourself Glad’ instantly kicks things up a notch into pure punk territory, and I’m all here for it! It does drop back in the verses to a more soft-rock style, and honestly the lyrics felt a little too on-the-nose for me. However, the harmonies are still fantastic, almost giving more of an ELO vibe. The two parts fit together far better than they have any right to. We also get some awesome soloing over a slower, stripped back bridge, feeling very reminiscent of his Mr Big days. His talent really is off the charts, and is highlighted perfectly here. And ending on that insane solo was definitely the right call!

‘Maintaining a Sweet and Cheerful Countenance’ keeps the pace high but dips back into his blues sound. I want to highlight his band at this point too, as both the bass and drums is going hard throughout, almost as hard as Gilbert goes. Once again the lyrics are a little blunt, repeating the song title an awful lot, but the instrumentation is so good it’s hard not to love it! The same can be said for tracks like, ‘Go Not Thither’, ‘Let Thy Carriage’ and ‘Turn Not Your Back’ all being blues and prog infused bangers. They have a similar structure of lower energy verses and sometimes choruses, while having some heavier instrumentation around them. And of course, the guitaring is the big highlight through them all! The latter is a big personal highlight of the album as a whole, giving off big Electric Boys vibes in the best ways. A track that easily makes it onto our playlist!

‘Orderly and Distinctly’ is a bit slower in pace again, and also feels a bit pop-infused as well as soft rock. It feels more like a ballad track of the album, and perfectly placed too to break up the higher pacing so far! It’s a pretty beautiful song, and the lyrics here are much more interestingly written than other tracks on the release. It gives more of a Floyd or even Beatles vibe, but definitely in a good way! And we also get another amazing solo tucked away in the middle, once again melting my face off. Another clear highlight!

Tracks like ‘If you Soak Bread in the Sauce’ and ‘Speak Not Evil…’ are fun, bouncy, bluesy soft rock songs. Again, both are great songs in their own right, but definitely fit together well as a similar sound. The musicianship throughout both is off the charts, and the only reason they’re pushed together here is so I don’t come across as a big old fangirl from repeating the same praise over and over. However, the latter is one of my favourite tracks on the album, and may have my favourite chorus Gilbert has laid down in a good while!

‘Conscience is the Most Certainly Judge’ is another slower track, perfectly breaking up the rockier songs again. It’s a fun, bouncy song with a pretty decent chorus, but does scream ‘album track’ a little. Meanwhile ‘Every Action Done in Company’ is another prog-blues track that does Gilbert’s lyric-repeating technique to the max. Then you have the incredible riffing of ‘Spark of Celestial Fire’ and a straight-up blues track closes things off with ‘George Washington Rules’. All are good songs in isolation, with the closer being particularly fun and another highlight. However, they do reflect the extended length of the album, and none really bring much new to the release that we haven’t heard already. But still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time listening to any of them, and the bands’ talents are that grand that they could make anything incredible!

Overall: This is a damn good release! As I’ve said multiple times throughout this, Gilbert is an insanely talented musician, and has surrounded himself with the same in his solo band, making this filled with some of the best playing around. And while some of the lyrics are great, overall it’s the weakest part for me. However, it does have some kick-ass, catchy-as-hell choruses! If you are a fan of any of his other work, you’ll surely enjoy this too, and I’d recommend it to anyone even remotely curious or big into 80s and 90s rock!

The Score: 8/10

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Pictures: HamaSaari Return with Their Awesome Sophomore Album!

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The second album from the French prog quartet dropped yesterday, and honestly blew me away! I had never so much as heard of them before they came across my emails, but sounded like something I’d be interested in so thought we’d take a deep dive together. Let’s get into it!

Opening the album on a dark acoustic guitar chord progression was a cool, unexpected choice. Jordan’s rather beautiful vocals soon come in over the top of it with a really interesting melody. The whole thing gives me slight Opeth vibes, surprisingly, feeling like it’s teasing bigger, heavier things. The big distorted guitars and drums and bass soon come in too, the track building perfectly, especially for an opener. The Karnivool influence is now in full swing, the soaring vocals fitting perfectly over some truly awesome guitar work. Everyone is working their asses off and getting a time to shine within the first two minutes of the album, it’s insane! The bridge in the middle is pretty cool, a great guitar melody coming in over the top of the rest, being very Adam Jones-esque. And it all dropping back to just the acoustic guitar steadily at the end was honestly incredible, almost cinematic. What a way to start an album!

‘The Wild Ones’ opens at a slower pace too, a simple, beautiful guitar riff to start us off. Once again, the rest of the instrumentation builds in; the simple yet effective drumbeat and low bass. It instantly gives off ‘Pieces’ vibes. It continues to build with the vocals, the second guitar part coming in between being incredible and adding so much depth and melody. It all builds to a HUGE distorted guitar riff, that and the ‘oh’s for the vocals acting as an amazing chorus. I’m definitely getting some of their Porcupine Tree influence now, though they’re definitely heavier. The vocals over the top of it for the second time round only added to the epicness of it all too, feeling almost Deftones too, surprisingly in a good way! It drops back down even more for the bridge, the beautiful clean guitar work coming back with some awesome light drum work. Once again, everyone in this band is so insanely talented at their craft, it really is something special! It all builds and builds again, eventually exploding into that awesome riff again and closing things out with a big, grandiose, Tool-like bang. This is an awesome song, and one that easily makes it onto our playlist!

Opening much like the prior track, ‘Our Heads Spinning’ channels a similar vibe and even has a similar structure and writing style as the previous songs. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially when it explodes into the catchiest, most radio-friendly chorus of the album. However, we’re almost halfway through the album now and all three tracks have definitely felt very similar. There are some incredible riffs in this thing, much like the awesome chorus vocals, and it’s another easy highlight, but I hope it’s not a cut-and-dry formula for them. It’s another big highlight track still though, and definitely one I’ll be spinning a lot moving forward! The harsher vocals in the outro were a nice touch, too.

‘Lost in Nights’ is another slower, impressively technical track that definitely channels some more Porcupine Tree energy. This time it’s all on the slower side, most of the heaviness left to other tracks. The same could be said for ‘Frames’, though the addition of Christelle Ratri was an awesome one, adding yet another excellent layer to the track! Then you have the beautiful, almost haunting acoustic song, ‘Under the Trees’. It’s another solid highlight, so simple with just an acoustic guitar and vocals, but absolutely incredible.

Closer ‘Home’ does channel a similar vibe to the previous tracks still, however it does feel a damn suitable end to the album! It’s packed full of awesome riffing and some really cool vocal melodies. It feels like it draws together everything from previously on the album perfectly, and is a darn good song in its own right!

Overall: This is a great prog release. It definitely has a couple of flaws, mainly in that it all follows a similar style and pacing, but there is no denying the bands talents as players or songwriters. If you are into the genre, this is an amazing release and this band should absolutely be on your radar. Each individual track on its own is phenomenal, and though I struggled a touch when it was a full collection, it is still well worth a listen!

The Score: 7.5/10

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Amen: The Return of Igorrr After a Long Five Years!

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The quirky Frenchman and his band of crazy-talented session players are back with the first new Igorrr album in five years. It’s been a long wait, as I absolutely LOVED that album, as well as seeing him a few years ago at Graspop and loving him there too. There is no one quite like them, and they should be so much bigger than they are already. Having checked out a few of the singles leading up to this, the hype is high, and I’m very excited to hear what the experimental/prog guy comes out with for the rest of the release!

The album opens on a muddy electro beat with ‘Daemoni’. The choir comes in over the top, alongside Gautier’s low vocals with a similar effect on them to the beat, which is really cool! It immediately has a dark, epic feel to it, setting up the rest of the album perfectly. An awesome guitar lick brings in some heavy acoustic drums over the back of the electronic stuff, being an interesting but perfect combination. It’s such a unique sound that really only Igorrr can do. The riffing is awesome, getting me headbanging along before we drop into acoustic work in the middle out of nowhere. It suddenly feels very black metal in the very best way. The hauntingly beautiful operatic female vocals come in over the top of it, a welcome return from his previous work. After teasing a buildup a few times we soon explode back into that massive riff again, this time with some brutal screams over the top. This track is fucking awesome! It’s a perfect taster of exactly the sort of thing the rest of the album will offer, yet is a good song in its own right!

Latest single ‘Headbutt’ is the only one I haven’t yet heard before writing this review. It’s another wild track, this time having some incredible piano work as another focal point. Beautiful, theatre-house piano work with blastbeats over the top wasn’t something I had on any bingo card, but once again Igorrr makes it work so well! It’s again with some more choir vocals, before exploding into pure blackened death metal with the big, distorted guitars and screams. We also get the return of Aphrodite’s INCREDIBLE vocals, again grounding it in a rather operatic, epic sound that more just-so-happens-to-have metal also involved. It’s exactly what I want out of the project, and I’m given it in spades! Not only is Gautier an incredibly talented musician and songwriter, but he surrounds himself with people of a similar calibre, so no wonder this is fantastic!

An epic, operatic start to ‘Limbo’ gives way to another subdued, beautiful-yet-dark acoustic guitar riff. The cymbal work is still pretty great over the top too, and the beautiful siren calls fit perfectly over it all. The black metal elements soon come in over the top, with some awesome guitaring and soon the expected blastbeats. However, it still has a grandiose feel to it throughout, and the dynamics are really great. And damn, that high, distorted note that Aphrodite hits before we head into the djenty riffing is incredible. While it does repeat some elements from the previous couple of songs so far, it’s still a masterclass in technical metal writing and performance, and is an easy big highlight of the album!

Two more singles, ‘Blastbeat Falafel’ and ‘ADHD’, could not be more different if they tried. The former is three plus minutes of absolute insanity in terms of musical talent and arrangement. Meanwhile the latter is a D&B, dubsteppy fever dream, yet somehow that is even made to be a good thing! I’ve checked out both of these tracks before over on our Youtube channel, and love them both in very different ways. ‘Blastbeat’ is the highlight of the album, no question, and is up there with some of the best tracks the artist has ever produced. I only wish I could write or play something as phenomenal. Meanwhile, and I didn’t think I’d actually say this, ‘ADHD’ isn’t quite as good without the nightmare-fuel AI video accompanying it. Still, as someone who grew up in the boom of this sort of thing, it’s damn enjoyable and breaks up the album perfectly!

The 12-second ‘2020’ encapsulates that year perfectly. Enough said. Then the heaviness continues through ‘Mustard Mucous’ and single ‘Infestis’. The former still has some electro/dubstep elements tucked away in the middle at times, while the latter is just a straight up, epic atmospheric black metal track! I remember enjoying ‘Infestis’ when I first checked it out, and it’s still a good song, but does lack the quirkiness of the other songs that I have almost come to expect from the band. ‘Mustard’, however, was chaotic brilliance, and yet another huge album high point!

‘Ancient Sun’ is a slower track, building up rather perfectly through the strings and drums. It’s honestly a great way to break things up, providing a calm, ethereal atmosphere for four minutes after two of the heavier tracks on the album. It’s simple yet still stays consistently interesting through all the different parts of the and instruments used. It’s a real testament once again to the talent of everyone involved in this!

The mouthful of ‘Pure Disproportionate Black and White Nihilism’, alongside sounding like a Cards Against Humanity answer, is a banger of a track! It once again builds perfect before heading into an almost Hu-feeling bit with the low, gravelly vocals. They also build in aggression, turning into a scream and practically a breakdown call-out as it gets heavy again! It’s a pretty standard Igorrr affair at this point, but that doesn’t take away from how great of a track it is!

After a brief, flamenco-style interlude track, the album closer, ‘Silence’, closes things off perfectly. It has a bit of everything, from the quiet guitar and piano and operatic intro to the electronic elements coming in over the top, adding a quirkiness and heaviness to it all. The fact that it has so much dub to it and still has this level of epicness is truly amazing. It is a little shocking it didn’t draw in the metal elements again, being the final hurrah for the album, but is still a fittingly grandiose conclusion to a release such as this! And, it fits the tracks title somehow perfectly!

Overall: Another great release from Gautier and co! It’s packed full of awesome musicianship and compositions, combining metal, electronic and classical elements perfectly throughout. I do have to admit it wasn’t quite as good as Spirituality and Distortion; I think that album had a bit more to offer in terms of scale and jaw-dropping moments. However, that still remains one of my favourite albums of the decade, so comparing the two hardly makes this bad! If you are into stuff on the weird side yet still pretty heavy, I cannot recommend this enough! There are a good few standout tracks that I will be listening to a lot, and the album as a whole is solid and worth at least a listen from front to back. It may grow on me even more with subsequent listens, but for now it’s still a very good release, and one that will surely make it pretty high on our albums of the year list come December!

The Score: 9/10

new music mondays

New Music Mondays: Twenty One Pilots, Lorna Shore and More!

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Another massive week of new albums for us to check out today, from rock to metal to country! Let’s dive right in!

Twenty One Pilots: Breach

It’s becoming no secret my feelings towards this band. I once loved them and thought they were so interesting and unique, putting their own spin on rock and hip-hop for a relatively radio-friendly audience. Blurryface is one of the best albums of the century, blending heaviness, flow and some actual emotion-filled lyricism all perfectly. Everything after that… meh.

That is… sadly still the case. I really wanted to like this album, just like I really wanted to like Clancy and Trench. Much like those releases, there are elements here that I did enjoy, but they barely combine together to make full great songs, let alone an album of them. The closest I got to highlight tracks were ‘Drum Show’, ‘Downstairs’ and the slightly heavier ‘Days Lie Dormant’. However, I still found myself wanting a little more from all of them, sadly. And, while they were never poetic geniuses, some of the lyrics here are diabolically on the nose in the worst way. It’s starting to get to the point where I’m failing to even grasp the appeal of the band any more. This is the at least third time we’ve had an album from them that sounds like this, and it was pretty bland the first time. As Tyler says in a rather Eminem-style way in ‘Center Mass’, “a little softer than I used to be”. That line alone kinda sums up the whole album for me. Still better than Scaled and Icy, but it’s up there with their other two post-Blurryface releases for me. 3.5/10. Fans, please be kind to me!

Lorna Shore: I Feel the Everblack Festering Within Me

The second album of the Ramos era of the band has a LOT of hype to live up to, given the bands meteoric rise since his joining and the release of Pain Remains. We fucking loved that album, so I’m curious to see/hear where this one takes us. From the incredible opener through tracks like ‘In Darkness’, ‘Glenwood’ and the grandiose closer, there is so much to love. It’s all so epic, somehow the perfect blend of European power and blackened deathcore. Will’s vocals are as utterly insane as ever, while the breakdowns are still a massive highlight throughout, as we’re just the epic soundscapes the band now craft with ease. My only slight issue is with the length. Over an hour of similar music is a lot for any genre, even stuff as fantastic and epic as this. I don’t think I’d revisit the album as a whole very often, but almost every song is awesome and I’ll be spinning them plenty in the coming weeks and months. While not quite up there with Pain Remains, it’s still an incredibly solid deathcore release and well worth checking out if you’re a fan of the band or the genre. 9/10

Spinal Tap: The End Continues

The return of the best parody band of all time has been a rather massive, pleasant surprise in 2025. Having not watched the movie yet, obviously, I was curious to hear if the album would still translate well just in audio, given that I have never really listened to the music from the original movie in isolation, either.

While I do think the tracks would work better within the context of the movie, they are still pretty great in their own right. The perfect encapsulation of 60s-80s rock, from Jethro Tull to Elton to Bowie to the likes of Priest and Sabbath. And while the tracks featuring legends like Sir Elton and Paul McCartney are quirky, crazy goodness, it’s when the band embrace their inner Alice Cooper that the album hits its high. Songs like ‘Brighton Rock’, ‘I Kissed a Girl’ and ‘Blood to Let’ are undoubtedly album highlights. The rest aren’t bad, but feel more like soundtrack songs as opposed to music to revisit on its own. Still, it’s made me more excited to watch the movie, and I’ll certainly be listening to the tree aforementioned tracks plenty moving forward. It’s a fun release if you like the band or the styles they’re parodying, and is a solid 7/10

First Time Flyers: Bound to Break

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

Between the Buried and Me: The Blue Nowhere

This is quirky, Mr Bungle-like awesomeness. Right from the epic, proggy opener, the band show that 20+ years into their careers, they are still one of the most creative and interesting bands in the game, and still pull no punches. And that’s just one of the 10 awesome tracks on this thing! There really isn’t a bad song on this thing and, even at firmly over an hour in length, it still begs to be listened to in full. It’s like early Gojira meets Tool, but with a heavy splash of experimental stuff like Protest the Hero and Haken, with of course a healthy splash of metalcore mixed in for good measure. The bands talent for playing and songwriting is off the charts throughout, but if you’re going to dip your toe in anything, let it be the truly incredible ‘Absent Thereafter’; it has a bit of everything the band is about packed into 10 awesome minutes. Heck, there’s even a Southern rock/country riff tucked away in the middle with a SICK solo over it, as well as some jazzy, death’n’roll stuff towards the end. Like, mind BLOWN. But that shouldn’t take take away from the rest of the album, as it’s all just as amazing!

It’s the first time I’ve been able to actually review one of their albums, or check them out aside a fleeting song or two, and I am now fully obsessed. This is an incredible release, and one I’d recommend to anyone into music; regardless of the genres you like, you’re bound to find something to at least appreciate here. I was blown away from start to finish, and it gets a very easy 10/10!

The Rasmus: Weirdo

The 11th album from the Finnish alt rockers comes fresh off the heels of their return album back in 2022, featuring the Eurovusion hit ‘Jezebel’. Having a fair amount of momentum and hype around them, this album continues it all rather perfectly. Single/opener ‘Creatures of Chaos’ kicks things off on a surprisingly heavy note, a modern metal riff running through it and it overall having a Planet Zero feel to it. Meanwhile tracks like the lead single ‘Rest in Pieces’ and ‘Banksy’ are classic Rasmus in the best ways. However, most of this album is incredible, with tracks like ‘Love is a Bitch’ and ‘Dead Ringer’ being also huge album highlights (though not sure why he calls out Miss Finland in the latter?). I was not expecting a Rasmus album to go quite this hard in 2025, but the band are really back on top form and firing on all cylinders. It’s everything I wish Him was, musically, the perfect blend between them and the likes of Smash Into Pieces. This is definitely an album I’ll be revisiting again soon, and I’d recommend it to anyone into that early 2000s alt sound! 9/10

Fruit Bats: Baby Man

You are either going to love or hate this album. I think I somehow did both through its runtime. I remember seeing them at Long Road a few years back and loved it, as well as checked out their last studio work and enjoyed that too. But I have to admit, I struggled a little with this. It’s so very stripped-back; the whole thing might as well be an Eric D. Johnson solo project instead of an ‘indie rock band”s release. It’s just Eric’s vocals over piano, guitar or other strings throughout its nearly half-hour runtime. I get that it’s his baby and he’s the only sole member, but I kept shouting at my phone/iPad for the album to “just do something!”. The composition and lyrics are beautiful, with ‘Two Thousand Four’ and the title track being firm personal favourites. But even with them, some light band backing towards the end, something to build to, would have been nice. I know there are going to be plenty of fans of this out there, and I’m not saying I’m not one of them, but I did find myself getting pretty bored fairly quickly. A good album to sit back and chill out to, as well as dig into some emotion-filled lyrics, but little more. 6.5/10

Dance Gavin Dance: Pantheon

The return of one of the world’s most on-and-off-again problematic bands after 2022’s Jackpot Juicer is… fine. No, that’s harsh. It’s probably better than fine, but compared to their best stuff or their last release, it’s not up there. Still, the technicality is great, and tracks like ‘Midnight at McGruffy’s’, ‘The Conqueror Worm’ and ‘A Shoulder to Cry On’ are personal highlights. I just feel like it’s not quite as fun as I kinda hoped it would be. It lacks elements of the previous album that I can’t quite place my finger on, so while it’s good I just didn’t enjoy it as much. It’s closer to emo than the prog or experimental stuff. Still, if you are a fan of the band, you will most likely at least enjoy this, and it probably worth a listen. But yeah, for me it’s hard to give it much more than 6.5/10. Sorry guys!

Silverstein: Pink Moon

Just seven months after their last album, the band released a fantastic sister album in this. Like, to the point where this blows Antibloom out of the water. While said release has grown on me with another listen or two, this album leans into a modern metalcore sound in a big way, keeping their usual emotion-filled emo vibe but adding in some of the tastiest breakdowns of the year, even being up there alongside Lorna above. It’s short and sweet, in and out in 23 minutes, and the six middle tracks are utterly phenomenal. The closer is your typical post-hardcore closing ballad, and my only slight issue resides with the soft piano opener. A great idea in theory, but it transitions jarringly into the utterly brilliant ‘Negative Spaces’, some build to it may have worked better. Still, it’s a damn good album that makes me want so much more of this from the band. And incredibly easy 8.5/10 which would have been higher with a better intro and a longer release overall.

Booze & Glory: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Six years after their last studio release, the streetpunk Londoners are finally back, and with a vengeance! It’s no secret I love music like this, from Rancid to Dropkicks to Social Distortion, and this was very much no exception. From the fantastic opener to single ‘Mad World’, ‘Family isn’t Always Blood’ to the anthemic ‘Legends’, there is plenty to love on this album. However, there really isn’t a bad song on it, and it’s a fantastic near-40-minutes of punk rock. Some of the lyrics are fantastically/devastatingly poignant to today’s climate, which is what punk is really all about! If you are at all into the genre it’s well worth taking a listen. The band are clearly talented songwriters and players, and it’s so great to hear them to make a return in a big way! It’s a very easy 8/10 from us!

Reviews

Our North, Infamous Stiffs and More: EPs Galore!

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Another week and four more incredible EPs for us to check out. Mainly metal but a punk one cheekily slides in there, too. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

Our North: Everyone For Themselves

The UK alt-metallers put out their debut EP today, and look to take no prisoners on their rise to the top! This thing is heavy and melodic in equal measure, and a real powerhouse of a six-track release. The screams are brutal, the breakdowns heavy and the clean parts effortlessly catchy and huge. It’s the perfect blend of Linkin Park and Devil Wears Prada/Chelsea Grin; almost like if all of BMTH’s discography was smashed together in a blender. Tracks like the opener, the almost hip-hop-based ‘Violent Rules’ and the brutally heavy rap-infused title track are all massive highlights, but there really isn’t a bad track on this thing! For a debut release and only two singles before this within the last two months, the band have hit the ground running in a major way and honestly blown me away. If you are at all a fan of the style or any of the bands I’ve mentioned above, I cannot recommend this release enough. The band have a very bright future ahead of them and I already can’t wait to hear where they go from here. However, for now, this gets a very solid 9/10 from us!

Infamous Stiffs: The Ornery Six

This snarling collection of six angry punk tracks is exactly what I needed right now, and is a fucking awesome release! The Californian supergroup of scene-legends follow-up their critically acclaimed 2021 debut album perfectly with this; a very much long-awaited return. We don’t cover nearly enough punk here at Overtone so whenever I get sent any I love it, and this is very much at the top of the pack for the genre in 2025. It’s an EP that’s also impossible to pick highlights from, as every song is fantastic and it really feels like it’s supposed to be listened to in full at least once! Still, the singles are awesome and were very well selected! If you’re into traditional punk you are probably already listening to this so don’t need me telling you, but it’s a really fantastic EP and definitely worth checking out! It’s fast, angry and fun, and a very easy listen. 8/10

Thr33 Sixt33n: Ex_Nihlo

The debut release of this Stoke-based modern metalcore/hardcore outfit is fantastic for a group so young! The tension builds perfectly in the opening track before exploding in with the heaviness; feeling dark and full of emotion and setting the tone perfectly. Then ‘NIHLISTIC’ goes hard throughout, the big metalcore riff being complimented perfectly by the almost extreme metal screams. I actually love the scream to, it being so impressive and a style that we rarely hear anyway, let alone on this style and on music so well produced. However, don’t let that take away from the CRUSHING riffing and breakdowns, and the incredibly solid drums! The track is a highlight, but so is the single off it, ‘PINS & N(33)DLES’. It’s only three tracks and nine minutes long, but introduces the band perfectly and immediately leaves me impatient for more! If you are into this sort of style even slightly, I can’t recommend this enough! They are going to be a big name in the scene sooner rather than later, and this is a fantastic jumping off point for that. 8.5/10, would have been higher if it was longer!

Oceanica: Try Not to Dwell on It

This epic, one-track prog EP is honestly pretty incredible, and one hell of an achievement from a songwriting and performing point of view. It’s still pretty heavy, but also feels almost ethereal with all the airiness of it. The closest comparison I find myself making is to some of Devin Townsends stuff. Some of the riffs are incredible and the drums behind them make it all sound so massive. I like the multi-layered vocals too, both working so well together and producing some amazing harmonies. And, while it’s clear the track is split up into sections a la 2112, they all fit together exceptionally well! It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but if you have the time to sit down and listen to this through, it will reward you with a journey like no other. Definitely for fans of the quirky and prog metal. Thankfully, I love both, so this is a solid 8/10 from me!

Reviews

Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State: Katatonia Return with a Stunning New Album!

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The Swedish prog-metal band are back with their 13th studio album, a follow up to 2023’s Sky Void of Stars. We quite enjoyed that album, so have to admit the anticipation for this one is pretty high. Plus, with us being sent it through early, we knew we wanted to check it out as soon as we could! If it’s anything like the previous album, I feel like we’re in for a treat! Let’s check it out together!

‘Thrice’ starts out the album perfectly for Katatonia; teasing heaviness before dropping down immediately into a quieter verse. It has a slight Tool-meets-Coheed-and-Cambria-meets-VOLA feel to it which I love, the proggy riffing and overall ethereal sound being incredible. The big riffing comes back in soon after, sounding absolutely massive, and leads into an awesome, proggy chorus. Both the riffing and drumming throughout this part, and the album as a whole, is utterly incredible, showing off the sheer technical talent of the band. The whole track feels like one extended buildup to that HUGE breakdown riff in the middle. The production on it is awesome, everything shining through and it all sounding so massive, even though not a huge amount is going on. And the fact that it leads back to that awesome chorus so seamlessly is again such a testament to their talents as songwriters. It’s an amazing song, and a great way to open this release!

‘The Liquid Eye’ as a similar opening to the previous track, but the tom work was awesome and I think I liked it a little more. I also feel like it takes a little more time to build up, doing so with the awesome riffing before hitting that huge chorus, sounding so good! It’s an interesting structure but feels slightly more settled and easier to follow than the opener, which might be why I like it more. We also get some awesome guitar soloing tucked away in the middle, not much but fitting the track perfectly. And the slower piano outro takes us home in style, sounding more like a grand finale, yet we’re only two tracks in!

The drum and bass intro for ‘Wind of No Change’ was a nice change (pun not intended) of pace. Add in the gang/choir vocals over the top of it, and this thing is epic as hell right from the offset. The awesome guitar riff builds up over the top too, but then it sadly drops back down to a similar verse as the others. I don’t mind the style, but it doesn’t work for this song; in my opinion it needed to keep going up and up. Still, it’s a good verse, and builds back up to the typically massive chorus perfectly. Once again, the atmosphere throughout is fantastic, as much due to the production and everything going on as the writing. The more plodding pace is excellent. And the solo in this is one of my favourite on the album, despite it being a touch short again. Outside of my one gripe it’s another amazing written and played song and a second that easily makes it onto our playlist.

‘Lilac’ has a plodding pace similar to the previous track, but has a bit more of a natural build and structure to it than ‘Wind…’ in my opinion. It’s good, but then the distorted guitars and soloing comes in and it’s great. And some of the riffing and drumming across the whole track… *chefs kiss*. It doesn’t at all make me jealous that I wish I could write like this… All the dynamics throughout are phenomenal, the band really making the most of every sound and riff and concept. It feels like one of the most naturally put-together songs the band have done to date, too. It’s great, and the third highlight in a row!

By the time I reached ‘Temporal’, as much as I was enjoying myself, it was starting to feel just a touch repetitive. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good song, but it has the same formula of heavy intro into lighter verse and then a heavier, technical chorus. Then we get some heavy bridge in the middle with some great soloing. It’s a great formula, but one already used pretty similarly four times already on this album.

As if to rub it in, immediately after ‘Temporal’ the tone and feel of the album shifted. The following few songs were different, taking on more of a stripped-back, ballad nature. Don’t get me wrong, there is still heaviness throughout, but it had much more focus on the slower, cleaner sound and atmosphere. “Departure Trails’ feels like the ballad of the album, reminding me of the slower verses of something like ‘Pisces’. ‘Warden’ continues down that same path, but the dirty bassline adds more grit to it. Also, by the second chorus it sounds bigger, adding in so many more excellent elements. It’s certainly another highlight track! Meanwhile ‘The Light Which I Bleed’ is like a slower version of the opening tracks, while ‘Efter Solen’ is a phenomenally beautiful ballad track of just Jonas’ incredible vocals over a piano. It gave me goosebumps and is another huge highlight.

The closing track, ‘In The Event Of’, returns to the bands core sound. However, after a prologued break, it made the song more palatable in one run, and was awesome! It’s an epic track, and the perfect way to close out an album of this magnitude. The chorus is awesome, as is the riffing and drumming, and everything about it made for a fitting finale to an album like this. However, it is also a damn good song in its own right!

Overall: I enjoyed this! Just to get it out the way, I don’t think it was quite as good as Sky Void of Stars, but it is still a damn good, atmospheric prog metal album! Everyone in the band are insanely talented, and have produced some awesome songs, riffs and moments across this whole thing. If you are a fan of the band or the genre, check this out immediately, you won’t regret it! I’ll certainly be spinning it more in the coming weeks and months, that’s for sure!

The Score: 7.5/10

Reviews

Nebula Nine, Redferrin and More: EPs Galore!

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A surprisingly stacked week of short releases this time, with six awesome EPs.(and a lot of country) for us to check out! Let’s dive right in!

Nebula Nine: The Last Sky Piercer

This epic prog rock offering is a damn good EP, introducing the listener perfectly to their sound and style. Outside of the obvious interesting, epic prog elements, the riffing throughout is another big highlight for me. That is no more obvious than in the awesome ‘Terminal’, a personal highlight track of me on the release. However, all four songs on this collection are awesome, and all fit together rather perfectly. It takes you on a real journey, and is a lot of fun to be on it! I still don’t know what the term ‘sublime’ at the start of progressive rock is that it was described to me as, but that’s certainly a word that I’d use to describe the EP, for sure! It does feel different to a lot of other releases in the prog spectrum too, so maybe that’s it. It’s even pretty easily digestible prog, so I’d recommend this to anyone reading this who’s into rock at all. It’s an excellent debut release, and the band certainly have a big new fan in me! 9/10

Zach Top & Billy Strings: Me & Billy

This trio of traditional country tracks from two legends of the genre is honestly awesome, and a lot of fun to listen to. Both me are of course insanely talented, and their vocals work phenomenally well together. Heck, their styles and writing in general fit together like two jigsaw pieces. It definitely won’t be for everyone, but I loved all three songs. It called back to a bygone age of country but done well enough that it held my attention for all of it’s just over 10 minute runtime. It’s the perfect little country collection, and shows why they are both such huge names, especially for their insanely young ages. And the fact that this is a live recording makes it even more impressive! Both their vocals are incredible, and the fact that it’s just them, their guitars and some simple drumming but still sounds so good is insane.

If you like country in any stretch actually, check this out, it’s well worth it! It brought a huge smile to my face throughout, and I can’t give it any less than 10/10. Honestly, if it was any longer it may have gotten a lower score, it really is perfect!

Redferrin: Some City, Somewhere

The second EP from the pop-country breakout star is just as good as his debut. I originally had this in my album list, but apparent country considers seven tracks over 20-minutes as an EP these days. Shhh, don’t tell the hardcore bands. But either way, this is another incredible addition to his discography. ‘Ruin my Night’ is an amazing opener, and it just carries on with the same awesome sound and quality after that. Also, it’s really cool to hear ‘As Long as There’s a Bar’ finally all this time after he first mentioned it in our interview! My favourite track on it is probably ‘Mornin’ Montana’, but it’s honestly closely followed by all the rest! Every track is a fantastic listen, and they all flow together perfectly. It’s a very good, chilled out modern country album, and definitely worth a listen if you’re a fan of Red or the style he plays. It’s another solid 8.5/10 from me, excellent stuff!

Refiner: Return to Dust

Now, if you told me that two tracks is hardly an EP, I’d agree with you. However, both these tracks are awesome, and the fact that it was produced by just one Canadian guy is absolutely insane. Plus, we are also getting both tracks as instrumental versions on the full release, which is a cool little bonus. It is disgustingly heavy in all the best ways, the dirty guitar tone, low riffs and awesome screams being so good. And yet, we still have some catchy clean, melodic parts in both songs too. They really are the best of both worlds. Also, given that it’s only two songs, they are both clearly highlights and both will certainly be making our playlist! If you’re into the metalcore stuff at all, I cannot recommend this enough, and even if not, it’s heavy enough to keep most metalheads loving it. As a follow-up to his 2022 EP, it’s awesome, and I look forward to hearing where he goes with Rottweiler Records. Christopher Adam has the potential to be a massive name in the metal scene, if these tracks are anything to go by. It’s another solid 9/10!

In terms of where Christopher is headed with Rottweiler, rumours has it we’re getting another EP soon and then an album by the end of the year. That has made this writer very happy and excited, and I shall certainly be reviewing them all!

Charles Wesley Godwin: Lonely Mountain Town

Another long-ass country EP of seven songs spanning nearly 30-minutes, it’s a fantastic release whatever it is. Charles has garnered a pretty big fanbase over the last few years because of his old-school country-folk sound, his hauntingly beautiful voice and his fantastic lyric writing, and all of that is on full display here! The title track opens the EP and sets the tone perfectly. Then you have tracks like single ‘It’s the Little Things’, ‘It’s Her Move’ and the truly phenomenal ‘When I’m Gone’ that are all huge highlights. Every song on this is incredible though, honestly. It gives me Zach Bryan vibes with how raw and emotional the writing is, but way more folk in its sound. There’s a lot of this old-school sound making a resurgence in country at the minute, but this is one of the best artists I’ve heard do it. It’s a solid 8.5/10!

Craig Morgan: American Soundtrack

The last offering of the week is another country one, but at least it’s sub-20-minutes so makes me feel a little less agro about it. I’d also never heard of the guy before but damn, this is fucking awesome! It’s got a bit more of a rock edge to it than the other country releases on this list, and his voice feels ripped straight from the mid 2000s sound. It’s Luke Bryan and Randy Houser in the best possible ways! The title track is awesome, as is the Darius Rucker-like ‘Roots’ and the beautiful (if religious) ballad ‘God’s Problems’. And that’s just the first half! The other three songs are just as amazing, I assure you. Craig has another huge fan in me as this is another excellent country EP on a list full of them! I’ma be listening to this a lot moving forward, and I can’t give it any less than another 10/10. It’s everything I want out of my country music, and it’s the perfect length. I’d recommend this to anyone!

Interviews & Features

Leoni Jane Kennedy: ‘The whole tour is just Prog Mag people and I’m loving it!’

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We had the chance to sit down and chat with the wonderful Leoni about her upcoming debut solo album, prog in general and her plans for the year. Check it out below!

How would you describe your sound?

Traditionally, I guess I come from a bit of a folk and blues background. I was brought up with sixty year old men playing The Beatles and ‘Copperhead Road’ and that kinda thing. A lot of Elvis too, all the classic 60s/70s vibe. I played with these guys and it would be me, an 11 year old girl, playing with them and they’d be pushing the pedals for me!

So storytelling is much more my background. The sound of it, the production of things, I’m leaning towards the more progressive side of rock. My Rush covers album… Rush is one of my favourite band. Status Quo was the first band I ever saw live, so I guess that’s seeped into it as well. There’s a lot of influential bands and artists that have seemed into my sound. But live I’m heading down the progressive route, I hope. But I also like doing my stuff acoustic. I think a person who’s very okay with prog would be interested.

It is cool looking through your socials seeing how accepted you’ve been into the prog community!

Yeah definitely, I never really considered myself prog, I just felt very much a part of that community. And it is a community, it’s not something that you have to do all these time signatures, but if it doesn’t fit into a boundary that is ‘the norm’ in our music industry today, I feel like prog is more my audience. I feel they understand my music a lot more than if I was to do a pop night, it doesn’t come across as well.

And you just the other day put out a new single, it’s the start of an album cycle, right?

Yeah, ‘A Different Kinda Woman’! Synthetic has actually been done for quite a few years now. Around this time last year was when I got the masters back. I went through a difficult time with a producer prior to this one. Every month I would message this guy saying “I haven’t got a demo or anything, can you send me something”. I didn’t get anything back from him for a year so I had to get higher powers involved, and eventually we got the majority of it back. When we did, it was missing a lot of what we’d worked hard on; we spent a lot of time on tones and different guitars and things. It was a studio production and the things that were missing were substantial so I had to work with someone who came into my life and saved me, Nick Andrew. He’s a fantastic midi guitarist. He took me on board and I was with him every weekend for almost three or four months, just redoing parts of the track. He didn’t know me, but he did the first Rush cover I ever released with me, on one of the Songs for Neil. He took me on as a mate. We got on immediately. He was so lovely.

From that, Elliot Kennedy of Steelworks studios. They put together the Spice Girls, he’s worked with Garry Barlow. He was a mutual friend and we were reaching out asking for help. Elliot decided it was a full project and I asked if he was sure but he said “yes, don’t worry, I’ve got you”. And he bloody well did! Between him and Nick it was probably about a year and a half working with them and it all came together. I got the final masters back this time last year. All of that time, I’ve had this image in my mind and it’s all coming together. I was crying my eyes out. It’s difficult enough as a musician but when people, put you in that position like you’re not worth their time, it’s just absolutely atrocious. It happens to plenty of people which is why I want to talk about it. It’s got nothing to do with you. If they’re gonna be a dick, they’ll be a dick!

So yes, the latest release is the first of seven songs from Synthetic. I believe there might be one more coming into it because I did a masters recently and there’s a track that I play live that gets the best reception live, about my lack of relationship with my dad. It’s something I’d like to include on the album as well but it’s not produced by Elliot. But this is it now, this is me starting my career!

Is there a theme surrounding the album, or is it more individual stories?

I guess it’s sort of like a sonic diary of my journey into who I am today. I don’t necessarily write to briefs, it’s whatever is effecting me at the time. It seeps through in different ways, it’s not necessarily me telling you a story of ‘look, this is what happened’, it can literally be me describing how you feel. Like, if I was writing a song and it had to be quite moody, I would describe it in the song to make you think about it and your body do the same as mine is, my hairs were standing up of my heart was racing. So yeah, it’s my life timeline, things that have happened to me. I look back and I go “I don’t remember what happened but I know why I wrote it”. I am just a girl, and I do keep things like that in my head!

And you’re hitting the road in April, right?

Yes, going on tour with Solstice! I wasn’t expecting… I’m not sure if you know but I got the #4 slot in Prog Magazine. But Solstice and Ebony Buckle, who I’m taking over for on the dates that I’m doing, she got #1 in best artist, the guitarist and leader of Solstice got #1 for best guitarist, and then the drummer got a slot in best drummers as well! So the whole tour is just Prog Mag people and I’m loving it! They’re such lovely people as well.

We went to Milton Keynes recently to shoot the cover for their latest release, and it was just loads of friends and family in an old school hall. Loads of kids running around, trying to get them to sit down. There was at least 50 people there, so it was hectic, but it was good!

Have you got a busy rest of the year planned after that?

I’m away again later in April, actually. I’m away with Solstice at the start, then I’ve got a show with Ross Harding at the Cart and Horses, I believe. And this is between me playing with Solstice and then me playing with Anchoress. She’s fantastic, and she was my one-to-one tutor on the masters! Again away with her in June, couple of blues festivals in July. There’s things that are happening gig-wise. I’m releasing a single from the album every five or six weeks if I can, depending on how it’s doing and analytics and things like that. And I’m hopefully going to be making a music video for all of them so I’m going to be very busy! With J.J. Erenger, who did the first one as well. I believe his dad did the recording and production for Manic Street Preachers which, weirdly, we supported them with The Anchoress!

Hastings on a Tuesday coming up on the 1st March, they’re putting me on the main stage this year which is really cool! And there’s just loads of things I’m yet to do as an independent musician, like get played on BBC Introducing; just general goals you see other people hit and go “oh I should probably do that!” I’m making a massive list and ticking things off as I go along. Whilst also trying not to lose my shit!

Yes, it doesn’t sound like the least stressful time!

I actually thrive on stress. I don’t like being quiet, I feel like that’s when I’m at my worst. I have my good days and my days of “fuck, I need to do everything before I die!”

Reviews

Give Us the Moon: Another Banger from The Night Flight Orchestra!

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The Swedish AOR rockers are back with album number seven. Their Napalm Records debut is set to be released on Friday, but there was no way we weren’t checking this out early, given the chance. I’ve been a fan for a few years now and am excited to finally be able to review them. 

After a departure-room intro track, ‘Stratus’ bursts in in prog rock brilliance, reminding me immediately of both Rush and The Who. However, it still maintains an 80s level of synth-rock awesomeness, too. It sounds MASSIVE and the main riff is awesome. It all builds to an arena-filling, hugely catchy chorus, the melodies and harmonies all sounding incredible. I absolutely love the arrangement throughout, the synth making everything sound so big and epic. The guitar solo is awesome, fitting the track perfectly and breaking up the amazing verses. It was the perfect choice to open this album; an immediate highlight and a track that easily makes the playlist!

‘Shooting Velvet’ continues the same vibe as the opener, the guitar and synth working perfectly together on an awesome riff! The vocals kick in and sound just as good, too. I’ll tell you what it reminds me of; 80s fight movie montage music. Like it’s ripped straight from Rocky or even cobra Kai. The chorus is incredible, so catchy and made to be played to huge stadium and festival crowds. And of course we get another awesome guitar solo tucked in the middle. It’s another amazing song, and the band are so far two for two for highlights!

‘Like the Beating of a Heart’ is yet another neon drenched, sunset-strip era glam rock anthem. It would fit so well if we got an updated Rock of Ages musical. The chorus is yet again soft rock awesomeness, and I can’t not gush over another great guitar solo, a bit slower and fitting the tone of the song so well!

The same sort of thing can be said about ‘Melbourne, May I?’, ‘Miraculous’ and ‘Paloma’. All three are awesome tracks, with the latter being another HUGE highlight of the album. It was also a touch different, being a bit slower and feeling like more of a ballad. However, it was at this point in the album that I was starting to feel a little like it was all getting a touch samey. I’ve loved every track, but there has been little variety aside from ‘Paloma’ (kinda) so far.

The rest of the album continued with kinda the same energy, too. Don’t get me wrong, there was some more change in tempo, which was certainly appreciated. There are certainly some more bangers in the latter half too, including the absolute funky bop that is ‘A Paris Point of View’. However, it is again still kinda samey. There certainly isn’t a bad track on the album, but for my easily-distracted brain it’s maybe a track or two too long, or it needed a little more variety in it. Heck, even just move the beautiful, prog masterpiece of a closing ballad deeper into the album to break it up a bit more. Still, as I said, it’s all fantastic soft/glam rock music!

Overall: This is awesome! Even with the few minor gripes I had with this album, it’s damn good, and solidly entertaining throughout. It’s packed full of amazing tracks and, as long and similar as it is, I couldn’t think of a single one to cut out of it. I liked that it all ran with the same theme too, and said theme fit the music and band as a whole perfectly. I’ll be listening to this is a lot more in the coming weeks and months, and this is a must for anyone into any of the genres I’ve mentioned earlier. It’ll certainly be up there in the discussion of the albums of the year list come December!

The Score: 8/10