Tag Archives: punk

Features, Reviews

My Chemical Romance and Skunk Anansie Rock Wembley!

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The first time the Black Parade had rolled through the iconic stadium since 2007, they now top the bill on the reprive of that show. Backed by British legends Skunk Anansie, it was set to be one hell of a show! From the iconic imagery of the album to the newly added Soviet-style set dressing and moments, I somehow knew exactly what to expect and not at all what to expect at the same time. We’ve all seen the videos but how does it hold up in person? Let’s dive in and find out!

P.S. first of all, fuck the Golden Circle concept. Forcing fans to be nearly as far back as the halfway line if they don’t cough up even more money on top of the already high GA prices is insane. Especially when, looking at photos, the GC area wasn’t even full! Ticket-Nation is going to be the death of big gigs at this rate, or at least will price out a lot of actual fans. And let’s not even talk about the security for the event, especially on the way out. But anyway, onto cheerier things…

Coming on slightly late, Skunk Anansie claimed the stage from the moment they stepped on it. This was the first time I’d gotten the chance to see them live in 15 years, and they certainly didn’t disappoint! 12 awesome songs spanning their expansive back catologue, and all played to perfection. Whether it was older bangers ‘Hedonism’, ‘Charlie Big Potato’ or ‘Tear the Place Up’ or stuff off the newer album that translates better live than on track in ‘Lost and Found’ and ‘An Artist is an Artist’, it was full of greatness. And that’s not even mentioning the three off my favourite album, Paranoid and Sunburnt. ‘Weak’ will always be a firm crowd favourite, ‘I Can Dream’ is one of my favourite songs they’ve ever put out, and ‘Little Baby Swastika’ is an awesome set closer.

The band themselves played their asses off, too. Skin is such a fantastic front woman, holding the crowd in the palm of her hand throughout. As I’m sure plenty of people have pointed out before, what she lacks in stature she more makes up for in presence and personality. And she seemed to be having a blast up on the stage too, which is also a plus. The inclusivity speech she gave in particular resonated perfectly with the crowd she was in front of, and resonated a lot with me personally. However, the rest of the band played their asses off throughout, too. Cass is a criminally underrated bassist, while Ace and Mark are fantastically talented players and performers in their own right. For a support slot, they put on a massive show still, and I imagine won over plenty of new fans in the process!

After what felt like a surprisingly short turnaround, the sounds of Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ filled the speakers to herald the start of MCR’s set. And, to get this out of the way early; HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I’d been waiting to see them for most of my life, but didn’t expect them to be quite so phenomenal. The Black Parade is one of my favourite albums of all time, so to see it live from front to back was honestly a dream come true. Every song on that album is perfection, and they all tell such an amazing, bittersweet story when put together. But not only that, after the album was done we got another hour of spectacular tracks from their back catologue. Hell, the moment they opened their second set with ‘Honey…’, the first time they’d played it live since 2010, I knew we were in for something special. Both ‘Thank You for the Venom’ and personal highlight ‘Cemetary Drive’ followed it up fantastically, while ‘Give ‘Em Hell, Kid’ was another Three Cheers banger. Then you have underrated Danger Days tracks in ‘Planetary (GO!)’ and ‘DESTROYA’, as well as their big three other singles, and the setlist truly was superb. Heck, we even got a cover from their early days, Morrissey’s ‘Jack the Ripper’.

In terms of the stageshow itself, it was also truly phenomenal. The lore behind their sudden Soviet turn in recent years is a bit odd, but makes for a damn fun show indeed! The actual stage itself was cool, the lighting rig adding a lot to the visuals. And all the video stuff with His Grand Immortal Dictator, and even him watching the Black Parade set, was a fantastic addition. Their use of pyro started out sparing, not really kicking in until ‘Mama’, but they had PLENTY of flames then, and it added so much to the atmosphere. And my god, ‘Famous Last Words’ is going to be etched into my mind forever. All the pyro, the emotion behind the song, the excellent sound and the 50 thousand plus people screaming every word back to the band, it was truly something special to be a part of. The big fireworks shooting across the pitch and from the top the stadium was honestly magical.

And then just like that, the Black Parade was over. The wonderful Clarice Jensen performed masterfully while they set up the smaller b-stage in the middle of the crowd, and then they launched into a completely different kind of set. No frills, no screens, no pyro, just a band having a blast, playing songs to an adoring crowd. We really got the best of everything!

And, speaking of the band, they sounded even more excellent than I’d have hoped they would! The sound for a stadium was fantastic, and the band all played their asses off for over two hours. And, on top of that, they all looked like they were genuinely having a blast up on stage, even through their Black Parade characters, which always enhances the experience even more. The band are all super talented, and Gerard arguably sounded better than he has since they reunited. He sounded almost as good as the tracks, yet knew where his limitations were as he’s not exactly in his 20s any more. And, whether it was the leader of the Regiment or his slightly quirky self later on, he was a magentically captivating performer, a born frontman.

So, as you can tell, I enjoyed this rather a lot! Skunk Anasie were good, but they were very much the warm-up act for the main event. Meanwhile, MCR’s triumphant return to Wembley was everything nine year old Joe would have wanted and then some! They have earned every bit of love and adoration and praise that they are getting, and absolutely deserve a nearly sold-out three night residency at one of the most famous stadiums in the world. They have more than proved that they are one of the biggest bands of the millennium. I already need them to come back over here with another tour, and some more new music wouldn’t be too much to ask for too, right…? Holy shit. Long live the Black Parade, and long live My Chemical Romance.

Reviews

The World Splits Open: The Sophomore Album from Punk-Metallers HAWXX!

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The punk-metal trio are back with their highly anticipated follow-up to their 2023 debut, Earth, Spit, Blood and Bones. While I’ve seen the name around, I don’t think I particularly know any of their music. However, having checked out a single in the lead up to this, it seems like it should be right up my street! Without further ado, let’s dive in!

The album starts out showing exactly what it’s about, and showcasing exactly what the band stand for. An audio clip of a woman talking about her brother jailed for protesting for Palestine gives way to a huge vocal wall from the trio, giving rise to the track name ‘Resistance is Justified’ perfectly. The heavy instrumentation behind it fits the vibe perfectly, the drumroll building excellently, while the Gojira-like guitars complement it excellently. As it explodes in we get chants of ‘Free Palestine’ and honestly, fuck yeah, this is punk metal awesomeness. The vocals remind me a little of a Dead Kennedy’s type, but also with plenty of anger and scream to them too. And of course the lyrics are phenomenal, matching the angst a lot of the world is feeling currently. It’s heavy and anti-establishment in all the very best ways. And, as I said, it’s the perfect way to set the tone for the release as a whole, and an excellent way to introduce the band to any new listeners. A MASSIVE early highlight!

‘Macho Bullshit’ continues the vibes from the pervious track perfectly. The opening riff is both heavy and groovy in equal measure, almost feeling like a modern/nu metal song at first. Otep was where my mind immediately went to, and that certainly isn’t a bad thing! The lower-level verse, builds perfectly through the pre into an almost hardcore-like part, and then gets even bigger with a melodic, doom-ish chorus. All of it is excellent and so very catchy! It’s a bit more radio friendly a track, a very good choice for a single. The outro is awesome too, proper metallic punk greatness. To I’m sure no surprise, this is another awesome song and one that makes our playlist!

The other single from the release (damn this album is front-loaded!) ‘Feral Mother’, opens on vocals and a simple guitar chug. It once again builds perfectly, exploding into a huge, heavy soundscape. It takes an almost prog vibe to it at this point, though the vocal melody instead is very Serj Tankian. It’s surprisingly catchy, and again works excellently as a single. It’s less angsty than the previous songs, but provides a really interesting change of pace, almost all the elements of punk stripped away, left with an epic metal vibe. The album has already kept me guessing in the best possible way, and this is another great example of that!

‘We Are Nature’ gives off a similar vibe to the previous track, though with a slight bit of that punk attitude injected back into it. The same could be said for ‘Bind’ and ‘Sacred Water’. Both have a Middle Eastern tinge to them, giving off vibes of Igorrr or Lowen on top of their own style. They are similar in their sound and execution, but are so very different from some other tracks on the album, making it constantly interesting and rather fascinating. The former is probably my favourite just for the HEAVY dum outro. However, all three are fantastic songs, packed with great melodies, instrumentation and lyrics.

Then you have the more frantic energy of songs like ‘Arm the Animals’ and ‘Shriek’ Both have more of that hardcore punk energy to it, with the former being another huge high point of the album for me, both lyrically and musically. The band are SO GOOD when they are angry, almost equalling Sam Carter levels of excellent in that regard. However, the latter at least has elements of that Middle Eastern melody to it too, yet still has the aggressive edge of stuff like the opener. It’s a fantastic combination of all their sounds!

‘Me Her and the Birds’ is the ballad of the album. It’s a dark, beautiful track mainly built around a simple, clean guitar chord progression and the ladies’ vocals. Having said that, it still builds gradually into a heavier, more distorted, huge crescendo. However, it stays at a slower pace, being truly epic and menacing in all the best ways. It’s another track that somehow feels completely different while also sounding distinctly like HAWXX What a track!

The closer, ‘Be That Whore’, is truly a culmination of everything that came before it. From the punky attitude to the prog-metal structures and riffs to some incredible screams, it all blends together masterfully. It’s the longest track on the record at comfortably over six minutes, but it means everything gets the perfect time to breathe. It’s ambitious and heavy and so very well written. A perfectly fitting way to close out the album, and in a way that only HAWXX can!

Overall: I absolutely loved this album! I didn’t really know what to expect heading in outside of what I got from their presser, but I emerge from this release as a massive new fan of the band! All three of the trio kill it from start to finish, and every song on it is great, with a good handful standing out as truly excellent. If you are at all a fan of your music a little heavier or punky, this is absolutely the release for you. And damn, if some of the lyrics and the messages aren’t fantastic. I’ll certainly be listening to this again, and don’t be surprised to see it high on our albums of the year list come December! I can see them being a big name, sooner rather than later!

The Score: 9/10

News

Big Country Redux: 40th Anniversary of ‘The Seer’ Album Celebrated with UK Tour!

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Big Country Redux announce a 15 date UK tour in November and December 2026 to celebrate the 40thAnniversary of ‘The Seer’. ‘The Seer’ was Big Country’s third album and featured the song ‘Look Away’ which was their biggest hit in the UK, whilst the title track featured a duet between Stuart Adamson and Kate Bush. ‘The Seer’ album itself hit No.2 spot in the UK.

Big Country Redux are led by Bruce Watson, one of the founding members of Big Country, alongside the late, great guitarist, singer and songwriter Stuart Adamson. All dates will feature support from Evan Peters Presents The Alarm. Between 2011 and 2013 , following the death of Stuart Adamson, Evan’s father Mike Peterswas the lead vocalist for Big Country as well as The Alarm.

NOVEMBER 2026

Thurs 19 The Crypt [Town Hall] MIDDLESBROUGH
Fri 20 Picturedrome HOLMFIRTH
Sat 21 Crescent YORK
Sun 22 Corporation SHEFFIELD
Weds 25 O2 Academy BOURNEMOUTH
Fri 27 O2 Academy OXFORD
Sat 28 Drill Shed MARGATE
Sun 29 O2 Academy LEICESTER

DECEMBER 2026

Weds 2 O2 Islington Academy LONDON
Thurs 3 O2 Academy 2 BIRMINGHAM
Fri 4 O2 Academy LIVERPOOL
Sat 5 The Drill LINCOLN
Sun 6 Wylam Brewery NEWCASTLE
Weds 9 Junction CAMBRIDGE
Thurs 10 O2 Academy Bristol BRISTOL

All tickets are on sale from 10am on Friday 29th May!

September will see the release of the ‘Eastworld’ album, which will be released on CD, Vinyl and Digital on 18 September through Absolute. The album will be preceded by the first single, the title track ‘Eastworld’ on 5 June 2026.

The album consists of 10 brand new recordings of Big Country songs originally written or co-written by Stuart Adamson, which were released as demoes or sketches, but never previously properly developed or lavished with the attention they deserved.

Bruce Watson said of the ‘Eastworld’ release, “Some of these songs will be known to the diehards as they have sneaked out from the archives as unfinished demoes or ‘internet only’ releases, but these are all songs that deserved to be developed further at the time they were written. I am delighted to have now completed them; it is a true privilege to get this newly recorded material out there. All of these songs were sketched out on old reel to reel tape recorders in dingy basements or in small 8 track studios”.

Interviews & Features

Suburban Legends: ‘You get to meet people, like, wonderful people that are very committed to the culture!’

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We chatted to the horns section of Suburban Legends, Brian, Chris and Aaron, at their show in Nottingham last week. Check it all out below as we talk about their UK tour, back home and the state of the industry!

How’s the tour been so far? It’s four or five days in now, right?

Yeah, four, five dates. This is day six. So we’re halfway through.

Chris: We’ve hit it, it’s the midpoint! You’ve seen us hit the crest, it’s all downhill from here!

Aaron: want to say the first show out the gate was awesome! We haven’t played… Brian lives in Japan, so the last time we played with him was 24? 23?

Brian: We played together last year, the acoustic gigs.

Aaron: yeah but the last show that we did together, I think it was the 25th anniversary two years ago!

So when you’re saying, how the tour is, we kind of put a lot of pieces together that were kind of array, and we fit it all in last second. We did one rehearsal in a backyard pub and we just did it. And it felt fun! It felt exciting. It felt like a reunion of friends. So every single show, varying degrees of people coming, but it’s all been great audiences, great guests, and great fun with our friends. So, to answer your question, it’s awesome!

Chris: To speak more to that, it’s just like, yeah, we can all spend so much time apart from each other. But also, we get together so well that the shows just kind of come together.

What brought you guys back over? I know you mentioned you did the acoustic tour last year!

Chris: We were contractually obliged.

Brian: Promises made and promises kept.

Aaron: Out of all the places we tour, the UK is by far the best. By far the friendliest. And I think when I wasn’t at the acoustic tour last year, but it was a tester to see if people still remember. And people still wanted to come out! So the test worked and we made it happen with a full band.

Because it’s been… it was a while before that, right?

Chris: Seven years!

Aaron: 2018 was the time prior.

There’s a couple of shows announced for back home too this year too, right?

Brian: Yeah, we’ve got the Supernova ska festival coming up! That’s in September.

Aaron: Other than that, there’s nothing else scheduled at the moment. I know that people are always hitting us up for stuff, but it’s about… everyone has a job, everyone has a feeling, everyone has a thing. So it’s about getting everybody together. Besides this tour, we’ve only played three times this year so far. Like one in February and then we did two Disneyland dates. Cause we perform at Disneyland.

How would you compare the scene over here compared to back home?

Chris: Man, it’s like, out here, it’s very DIY, it’s very energetic, it’s very fun. It’s very community driven, which is really fun to witness and also kind of be a part of at the same time. Because we get to come over here, we get to play with all these wonderful bands that are also a part of the scene. You get to meet people, like, wonderful people that are very committed to the culture. And you get to see the little local pockets of it, like, all up and down the island. So it’s really wonderful, comparatively. Like, it’s harder, I think, for us to have that in the States because everything is so just like spread out. There’s a level of density that happens out here where you have, like these nice little pockets of things that are happening.

Brian: Plus, we’re just not as active as we used to be. We’re not out there, like, hustling like we used to, where it’s like everything that was offered, we’ll take it. You know what I mean? When we were really in the scene, like in the States and in California, we were playing a bunch and playing with all the other bands. But now it’s like we play occasionally and it’s like sort of like…

Aaron: Most of the time it’s at Disneyland, and that in itself is a different culture, a different scene. So we have like a foot in two different scenes, you know what I mean? And locally we can only play maybe one or two times a year so that people get excited about it. You don’t want to oversaturate it. Especially when we play Disneyland.

I assume you change the setlist up for the Disneyland shows?

Aaron: Yeah, more covers, and lyric changes too!

Chris: It’s a different kinda show.

Brian: And sometimes we forget that when we, like, from place to place, we’re like, oh, we gotta like shift gears, that’s right, it’s this type of show now!

Aaron: Sometimes we’re opening for a band, we only have like a 25 minute, 30 minute set. And the things that we do at Disneyland we cannot do in that 25 minutes because we gotta play as much music as possible.

I’ve seen there’s been a couple of singles out over the last few years or so, is there any sort of writing going ahead, any urge to release stuff?

Aaron: Being creative is about flowing the flow. I think there’s things and there’s things that are around, but are they recorded? No. Is it gonna happen? Maybe. Literally, if Vince was here, who, like, leads all that, he would just say, ‘well, I don’t know’, but. But the answer is, yeah, there’s always work. There’s always creativity going on.

Chris: There are so many projects and there’s stuff going on, but yeah, you know, it’s all just kind of in the vault.

Brian: There’s probably at least five or six projects that we started and never completed. There’s lots of starts and stops. But all that stuff still exists. It’s just whether or not we want to like, okay, let’s start that again!

How did the whole Disney thing come about? Did you start playing there before doing the covers?

Aaron: We started playing at the park. We had one Disney cover that. It was Gummy Bears. And I don’t know why we did it. I don’t know how we decided to do it. It wasn’t great, but people loved it! When we started playing at Disneyland a long, long time ago, we just assumed we were playing all original songs. Yes, maybe we did a ska cover of ‘I Will Survive’. It was wild! We realized people are coming to see us, but there’s a lot of people there that have never seen us before. And if you’re gonna come in and you’re gonna watch a band, hook them with a cover and then play a couple originals. So eventually we started just going, okay, we’ll do another Disney song. Another Disney song. Another Disney song. Just because we’re also Disneyland and we also love Disneyland.

Is it hard getting a ska arrangement of something like a Disney song together?

Aaron: I don’t know. We’re the horn players, so, I mean…!

Chris: It’s not terribly complicated. A lot of these arrangements really lend themselves to it. Ska isn’t particularly hard to, like, write into the existing arrangements. For example, we did ‘Whole New World’, and I think that was kind of the greatest departure, but also stays really true to the arrangement. But we wrote an entirely new tone around the intro. that’s kind of the furthest we’ll go because we still want it to be familiar. We still want it to be fun. Thankfully, working into, like, the genre of ska, it kind of lends itself to the energy and the upbeat arrangements that we choose.

You guys are pretty up on social media when on tour. Do you have any advice for bands breaking into the scene in that regard?

Chris: You want to have one person who is just constantly aware of the moments that can take place while you’re on the road that are both organic and fun.

Aaron: It’s a full-time job. I mean that’s why social media managers are full time jobs. You get a degree in and all that stuff. It takes a lot of time. So advice: get somebody to come with you. Maybe a merch that can film while you were actually doing your art and stuff. A social media manager who also is cool with selling T shirts. You know, so maybe an 18, 19, 20 year old that knows what people like. Because we also don’t know what people like!

Honestly, I think the thing to talk about is Spotify. How you release music, that’s more important than social media. Punk Rock Factory I think is a great example of social media. They’re not touring as a lot but they have their, their studio set up where it looks rad behind them. They got the actual lights and they film their song. They cut it up into five different reels and then they release it and they schedule it out and that’s how they’re getting listens on Spotify and views on YouTube and that’s how they’re getting people coming to their shows.

It’s the niche, Right. You can’t just plop whatever you want on the Internet. You have to just kind of pick a lane. I think with us, the route that we’re going with this tour is just the storytelling of touring. We don’t play a lot, so we don’t make social media content a lot. So if we’re out here doing stuff, we want to just make sure people can see the story of, like, oh, yeah, this is what it’s like to be in the UK with this American band.

But Spotify, that’s the thing to talk about, because growth. Spotify has an algorithm. How do you release music these days? And it’s not albums. It’s singles, and it’s consistent singles that you do at a consistent basis.

Chris: And it’s an entirely different game to play than what we had been used to doing, which was like, you know, you write an album or you write an EP, you record the album or EP, tour on the album or the EP. There’s a cadence to that that’s much longer than, like, record singles, release singles. And it also, in tandem with that, took selling CDs out of our hands while we were on tour, which was, quite frankly, a large portion of our merch sales. For example, for this tour we didn’t roll with CDs. It’s too heavy, it’s too hard to ship. Why print? Why bring them over? You know, because people aren’t gonna buy them because they have digital distribution now.

Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you haven’t played with yet or friends you want to bring on the road with you?

Chris: That’s a really good question!

Brian: Yeah, it’s not really in our mind any more! We don’t tour much so we don’t think about it much!

Chris: Like, at this point, I feel like the people that we want to tour with are the people that we’ve already toured with that we know that we enjoy touring with. We enjoy touring with real big Fish. We enjoy touring with Less Than Jake. Like, people that are our friends that we know. When you show up to tour, it’s like you’re showing up to the same summer camp. Everyone is just already cool with each other.

Aaron: That’s the answer!

Chris: Exactly. We want to tour with our friends and have a good time.

I’ll answer the question as it’s intended… I would love to be able to go to Japan and tour with Tokyo Ska Paradise.

Aaron: Oh my god that would be amazing!

Chris: It would be so much fun. But Scott doesn’t know about us. But that would be a really fun tour to do!

Reviews

Suburban Legends and Codename Colin Rock the Bodega!

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It’s been a hot minute since we made it down to The Bodega, and then it was for a pretty different gig! This time was for the ska legends Suburban Legends, returning to the UK after last years acoustic tour, and for their first electric shows in seven years! Y’all should know how big of a fan we are here at Overtone of ska punk by now, and we get far too little come over to the UK these days, so there was no way we were missing this! Of course we were going to have a blast, but read below to find out just how great of a night it was!

It felt slightly odd only having two bands on the bill, but it is becoming increasingly more of a thing in recent years. However, when both bands are this good and get given some time, it’s really hard to complain! And Codename Colin really brought it last night! I wasn’t too familiar with them aside a couple of songs I checked out before the show, but I came away a pretty damn big fan of the band! Even despite some technical issues with the guitar the band played a fantastic set, sounding awesome and coming across as damn professional. They were a little heavier live than I was expecting too, having an air of metal to them, especially in the half-time outros. All four of them were insanely talented too, getting their own time to shine at various stages throughout.

And, their setlist was pretty great! From their amazing originals to a couple of fantastic covers, it honestly left me wanting more! ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ was a personal highlight, but I found myself enjoying their original stuff just as much, truly. Hell, the new songs they threw into the set were awesome, and have left me excited to hear what’s next in store for them, release-wise! They played their asses off throughout and clearly impressed a lot of the crowd, including us. This certainly won’t be the last time I see them, and hopefully they’re back nearby soon!

After a pretty brief changeover, it was already time for the headliners! I’ve wanted to see them for so long, not able to make it to their last full tour pre-pandemic, and somehow they didn’t disappoint even with my high hype for them! From the moment they took to the stage I was obsessed. Opening on old classic ‘High Fives’ was a great choice, and kicked off well over an hour of catchy, high-energy ska punk. From Day Job bangers like ‘Arigato’ and perennial closer ‘Whoa’ to more older classics in ‘Hey DJ’ and ‘Bright Spring Morning’ to even ‘Forever in the Friendzone’, the set was packed full of the very best of their back catalogue. And, of course, we can’t not address the Disney songs. From Toy Story’s ‘You’ve got a Friend in Me’ to Lion King’s ‘Just Can’t Wait to be King’, ‘DuckTales’ to ‘Under the Sea’, the band have done some of the funnest ska covers, and Disney covers, around!

And the show the collective put on… DAMN. I don’t have the energy to do what they do now still in my 20s, let alone 15+ years down the line. The energy that every one of them put into their performance was infectious, having the crowd dancing, clapping and bouncing along throughout. Heck, they managed to get a solid 60-70% of the not-particularly-young crowd squatted down, ready to jump-the-fuck-up and pretend to be fireworks. That’s commitment from everyone involved, right there! The choreography was also amazing; synchronised dancing is always impressive but to do it to ska music, as well as sometimes while singing/playing a horn, is honestly awesome!

Plus, everyone sounded awesome. Vincent’s vocals are amazing live, and it blows my mind still that he wasn’t even originally the singer of the band. The backing and harmonies were awesome too, with Aaron sounding great and being a born frontman in his own right. And all the rest of the band absolutely killed it too, being so tight live and sounding really excellent. The talent throughout them all is truly off the charts, and to witness it live was something truly special. Damn, I could gush about this band all day!

And there you have it folks, an awesome night packed full of some incredible punk music! Two bands that I am already desperate to see live again, and would recommend checking out to anyone if they are anywhere nearby you. And, what’s more, it was all at one of the best small venues in the country! I certainly had a blast, and couldn’t have asked for any more!

Reviews

We Mean It, Man!: The Album to Push Gogol Bordello Back to the Top?

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The gypsy punk pioneers are back with their 10th studio album that dropped just today! Being their first release since 2022, as well as myself being a big fan of the band and style in general, meant there was no way I wasn’t giving this my full attention. I’ve been hyped for it for a while, and the singles so far have been great! Without further ado, let’s dive in!

The title track opens things up fantastically, an almost tribal chant leading a surprisingly heavy riff. The fiddle still adds plenty of folk elements to it, though the production is massive and the futuristic voice hints at something bigger. The verse is great and the chorus, while simple, is infectiously catchy and will go down a storm live with the call-and-response vocals. Speaking of the vocals, the lyrics are fantastic, calling out the current climate of the world in perfect punk fashion. And, instrumentally, everyone is working their ass off, crafting something perfectly chaotic and punky and folky and heavy all in the best ways. This is ‘gypsy punk’ at its very finest, and an excellent way to open the album!

The pace slows a little with ‘Life is Possible Again’, having a slight post-punk/industrial feel with the heavy emphasis on drums. The backing vocals are a big highlight of the track, making so much of it feel massive and so very catchy. It definitely has more of a pop-vibe to it than the heavier previous track, but both feel distinctly Gogol Bordello; doing their own thing in a way only they can. I love that they really let the instruments do the talking too, everyone getting a chance to shine throughout each track. Another incredible song, and a big early high point!

‘No Time for Idiots’ keeps the steadier pace of the last track but definitely ups the punk and the folk vibes. The whole track seems to build up to and around that incredible chorus, clearly written to be played to huge crowds around the world. It again feels more radio-friendly a track, maybe because it just made me want to dance throughout! It’s a simple track but a damn fun one, and one I am desperate to see live!

Single and ridiculously titled ‘Hater Liquidator’ feels very Gogol, and I mean that as the uttermost of compliments! It almost has a halloween-esque feeling with the opening riff, immediately setting things off in a quirky direction. Then we get the fun, polka verse and the pure punk chorus, some ‘la’s over the top of the melody after for good measure. And once again, the backing vocals putting emphasis on a few lines in the verses, as well as jumping in in the choruses, make it all feel massive, really feeling like the big gang of a band it is. It drops down for a great little bridge, only making the chorus feel even bigger when it builds back up to it. It’s an incredibly fun song and it’s easy to see why it was picked as a single. It’s one that easily makes our playlist!

‘Boiling Point’ is one of three tracks on the album to feature a guest. All of them are amazing songs, and completely different, complimenting the features perfectly. ‘Boiling Point’ is a slower, acoustic number, having elements of dark folk as well as the traditional Ukranian sound they do so well. And, Grace Bergere’s vocal harmonies were honestly beautiful throughout it. Meanwhile ‘From Boyarka to Boyaca’ features its guest Puzzled Panther a little more prominently, here getting some awesome solo vocal lines. The pace of the track is a bit up and down, the dynamics being fantastic.

Finally, album closer ‘Solidarity’, is an epic, electronica-infused track, and Bernard Sumner adds so much with his vocals. It’s an incredible track made in… well… solidarity… with Eugene’s home nation, and it’s hard not to feel the emotion with every word. It honestly gave me goosebumps, and how this isn’t an absolutely massive track is beyond me. It felt different to the rest of the album too, though that may have been Nick Launay’s mix. All three are incredible tracks, but yeah, the latter is definitely a huge highlight of the album as a whole, and one I would urge anyone to check out. It also closes the album on suitably grandiose fashion!

Back to the band’s solo stuff, ‘Ignition’ is glorious Europop-infused gypsy punk. It’s yet another damn fun track. Then you have the likes of ‘Mystics’ and ‘State of Shock’ are massive, almost metal-infused songs. The violin is a big focus of both, which was excellent, and almost made the latter feel like a Bond song at times. It also gave vague Biffy vibes; two very different styles, I know! All are great songs in their own right, but also fit in with the theme and vibe of the album pretty perfectly!

The other two tracks on the album, ‘We did Good…’ and ‘Crayons’ are also bangers, honestly. Again, they very much keep up the gypsy punk vibe the band are known for, but both feel different in their own right. And, both are a lot of fun, while also having pretty fantastic, emotion-filled lyrics. While both are more ‘album-tracks’, they are not to be skipped, and definitely help to make this album one to listen to from front to back if and when you get the chance.

Overall: This is an excellent release! Every song is amazing, while some I’d honestly put up there with the bands best. And, as an album as a whole, it matches up alongside Super Taranta! or even Gypsy Punks itself. It’s a lot of fun and blends together every influence the band has into a fantastic melting pot of punk, polka and rock, much like the band themselves. I’ll certainly be spinning this a lot moving forward, and is a must-listen for anyone even slightly interested!

The Score: 9/10

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New Music Mondays: Buzzcocks, Softcult and More!

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Another week, and some more awesome rock, metal and country release for us to check out!

Buzzcocks: Attitude Adjustment

The punk rock royalty returned with their 11th album this last Friday, their first in four years. It’s fine. For a band that formed a whopping half a century ago now, I at least have a lot of respect and admiration for Steve Diggle for what he’s done for the scene and who he and the rest of the band have influenced over the years. But this was honestly a tough listen. It feels and sounds incredibly outdated, showing that Steve hasn’t evolved at all as a songwriter after all these decades. It’s the same early-punk/power-pop as they were writing in the 70s. I know that will certainly appeal to some people out there, but the rest of the music world has very much left the band behind at this point. There are modern bands writing better stuff in this style, while punk got a lot more interesting after the bands heyday, in this writers humble opinion.

The closest to a highlight track I had was ‘Seeing Daylight’, but honestly I struggled to get hugely further through the release without losing interest. There are certainly going to be fans of this out there, the band are still sat on 600k+ monthly listeners, but I am sadly not one of them outside of a couple of older hits. This did nothing for me, and I can’t give it any more than a 3.5/10. Technically fine, but painfully dull.

Softcult: When a Flower Doesn’t Grow

The debut album from the self-professed riotgaze band is certainly interesting. Once again it’s not my sort of thing, I don’t ‘get’ any shoegaze at all really, but I at least see the appeal of it a bit. It’s not something I’d go out of my way to listen to, but if it came on in the background I’d probably have a good time listening. The band are clearly talented, and there’s some good drumming and riffs at times throughout. I think the vocals are my main issue; having them in that droning style throughout didn’t pull me in, despite some good lyrics. The run of ‘Naive’ through to ‘She Said, He Said’ was the best part of the album for me, but the whole thing is pretty solid overall, an easy 30-minute listen. If you are into a punkier, indie edge to shoegaze, this is definitely a release for you. A solid 6.5/10 from us, and it may grow on me more with more listens.

Francis Rossi: The Accidental

The new solo album from the Quo legend is a fun, if long, release! Opener ‘Much Better’ sets the tone perfectly, and songs like ‘Back on Our Home Ground’, ‘Going Home’, and ‘Beautiful World’ are all big highlights too. However, 14 tracks across nearly an hour, especially when all are a similar vibe and pace, is a lot. I love Quo as much as the next guy and it’s always great to have more songs that so distinctly like them. And when we aren’t getting new Quo any more, I’ll happily take Rossi doing the exact same sound for his solo ventures. So yeah, it’s a damn good rock album, and is a lot of fun to listen to. Very simple and to the point. But it does get a touch repetitive around the halfway mark, let alone by the end. I’d definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of the band, or just into old-school rock music in general. It’s a solid 7.5/10 from us!

Kanonenfieber: Soldatenschicksale

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

HANABIE.: HOT TOPIC

The highly anticipated new EP from the Japanese metalcore band combines together a few of their latest amazing singles, alongside two new tracks, to create an awesome 15-minutes of heaviness! ‘ICONIC’ dropped recently and has been a mainstay on my rotation, while ‘Spicy Queen’ has been stuck in my head the last eight months since its release. And older track ‘GIRL’S TALK’ is of course a banger. Then you have ‘…About you’ and the closing track that are every bit as good as the others. The video-game-esque latter is honestly a big highlight of the whole thing from how utterly left field it is. The bands chaotic energy and heaviness is off the charts, yet they still have plenty of melody and catchiness to boot. There is no one out there like HANABIE., and they always make for a fun listen. They clearly don’t take themselves too seriously, which is refreshing these days. If you’re into the wilder side of metalcore, I’d definitely recommend checking this out! 8/10

Emily Scott Robinson: Appalachia

The folk/Americana singer-songwriter returns with her first studio album in nearly five years, and has produced something just as beautiful as ever. It’s 40 minutes of chilled-out, emotion-filled acoustic music, and I loved just getting totally lost and eveloped in it. It’s not tyically my sort of thing, at least not to enjoy this much, but something about Emily’s incredible vocals and lyric writing had me hooked. It’s almost impossible to pick highlights, though all three duet tracks are utterly phenomenal, giving even more depth to her sound. If you are into relaxed Americana-folk, this is certainly a release for you. Not one I’d revisit often, but certainly one I’d happily listen to again! 7.5/10

The Chuck Norris Experiment: Hot Stuff 3

Another in the Swedish punk-infused hard rock band’s collection of b-sides and it goes far harder than it needed to! Their ‘Stairway to the Stars’ cover opens the release perfectly, setting a great tone moving forward. That’s swiftly followed by album highlight ‘Hammersmith Palais’, with other album highlights like ‘The End of the Great Credibility Race’, ‘Habit to Support’ and ‘Electrify Me’ being spread through the album. However, the whole album is a great, fun release, and begs the question how a lot of these tracks haven’t made it onto full releases in the past. It’s impossible not to have a good time listening to this, and the band are so very underrated! If you are at all into the band or just the wider heavy punk genre in general, I’d definitely suggest giving this a listen! I can’t give it any less than 8.5/10. I wish more bands still did this style, and I’m so excited for them coming back to the UK this year!

Danny Dela Cruz: So Long As There Are Stars

The debut solo release of the former Inglorious/Thrxnes guitarist is a real showcase of his sheer phenomenal talent. Five amazing instrumental tracks that show the breadth of his playing skills, and all excellent in their own right. Instrumental stuff is certainly not for everyone, but this is definitely worth checking out if you are even a little bit curious. Clearly inspired by greats like Vai, Sambora and Malmsteen, he firmly plants himself up alongside all of them with this release. ‘Life’ and ‘As the Pages Turn’ are personal highlights, but the whole release is amazing from start to finish. I’ll definitely be throwing this on again in the coming weeks and months, and it gets a very solid 7.5/10 from me. And to put that into perspective, that’s high from me for both an instrumental release and an EP!

Tinsley Ellis: Labor of Love

The blues guitarist followed up 2024’s Naked Truth excellently with this stripped-back release. The vast majority of it just Tinsley’s guitar and low, powerful vocals, but he packs so much punch and emotion behind it all that I was hooked throughout. From ‘Long Time’ to ‘The Trouble with Love’, ‘Sweet Ice Tea’ to ‘Too Broke’, there is plenty to love here. However, there isn’t a bad song throughout. Once again, it isn’t a release for everyone, and it does get a touch samey by the end, but Tinsley is such a good songwriter that it’s hard not to still have a good time listening. If you’re an old-school blues fan, check this out ASAP! I’d love to hear him with a bit more of a band behind him at some point, but this is also still great regardless! 7/10

TarLung: Axis Mundi

The Austrian sludge doom trio released their first new album in nearly five years last Friday, and go just as hard as ever with it! This thing is packed full of incredible riffs, solid drumming, heaviness and some amazing growled vocals. And they give everything plenty of room to breathe too, just eight songs spread across the 38-minute runtime. ‘The Valley of Nowhere’, ‘Sea of Drowned Souls’ and the title track are all huge highlights, but every song in this fits and runs together perfectly. The band are so insanely talented, and it’s criminal that they aren’t bigger than they are at this point! If you like your music heavy and sludgy, this is certainly an album you need to be listening to! They have a big new fan in me, and I will certainly be spinning it plenty in the weeks and months to come. A solid 8/10 from us!

Gitika Partington: Twelvefold Number 1-13

Yep, a whopping 13 full-length albums, all in the same day! We had the privilege of chatting to Gitika about the feat last week, and it makes me appreciate these even more than I already do. Each has a slightly different feel to it, though all keep within her vague folk/easy-listening style, and each certainly have highlight tracks. ‘They Dance an Eleven’, ‘Virginia Wolfe’, ‘Own My Shit’ and ‘I’m the Only One Who Knows’ are a handful of the songs that stood out to me. It’s an insane achievement to release this massive a volume of work anyway, but for a good portion of it to be high quality and enjoyable is even better. It’s certainly not my sort of thing normally, but I’m so glad I was sent through the presser for it as I did have a good time listening. If anyone’s at all interested, it’s worth a listen. And, while I probably won’t revisit the project outside of the odd song here and there, I didn’t hate it at all. Gitika should be hugely proud of what she has managed to accomplish here, and in terms of the music itself, I happily give it a solid 6/10, though it would be higher for the sheer balls and confidence in the work she has!

Contrasts: False Idol

The debut EP from the modern alt/metalcore Welsh collective dropped on Friday, and honestly blew me away! It perfectly walks the line between brutal heaviness and huge, arena-filling melodies that few bands can truly pull off well. And, because of that, all four of these tracks are amazing! It’s impossible to pick highlights as all are as good as the last. Even the slower ballad ‘Armageddon’ is awesome, and fits the tone of the release excellently still. These guys already did some great stuff in Upon Those Dying and Giving in to Ghosts, and they are very much continuing that trend here! I can see big things ahead in the bands’ future, and this is a fantastic jumping off point for all of that. I can’t give it any less than 8/10, great stuff!

Reviews

Europa Reign, Instigators and Alan Fletcher: EPs Galore!

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Three completely different EPs for us to check out today, from metal to punk to Americana. All are worth a listen but read on to see what we thought!

Europa Reign: Self-Titled

The debut EP from the alt metal band from just down the road in Wolverhampton is awesome, and a hugely impressive first release! It’s got an air of Mason Hill meets Earthtone9, and I love it! There’s a really nostalgic late 90s early 2000s post grunge edge to it too, but also it feels pretty fresh and different at the same time. His vocals are a little Sully Erna and a little Scott Stapp. the power and melody over a heavier, more technical and modern instrumentation being fantastic. Also, it’s impossible to pick out just a couple of highlights, as all five tracks on this are phenomenal. It’s right up my street musically, and is 23-minutes of perfect hard rock/metal. If you are in any way into any of the bands or genres I’ve mentioned already, I cannot recommend this enough! The band are insanely talented musicians and songwriters, and have a hugely bright future ahead of them if this release is anything to go by! I can’t give it any less than 10/10, amazing!

Instigators: Full Circle/The Sleeper

The UK punk royalty are back after decades away, returning to the stage a week ago at Rebellion in Blackpool and then releasing this revamped EP today! While none of it is new, I wanted to cover it as this is a rather huge deal, and a band I love! ‘Full Circle’ sounds better than ever, while classic ‘The Sleeper’ also sounds excellent with a new lease of life. As far as I’m aware the EP is only available in physical format, aside for the videos on YouTube like the one below. So, if you can order it or make it down to one of their shows, I highly recommend you pick up a copy! 8/10

Alan Fletcher: Let’s Talk About Love

The Neighbours star put out his brand new EP today, a follow-up to his 2023 debut album. Australian Americana is an interesting one, but it doesn’t not work. It’s simple but chilled-out, fun music in the vein of Julian Taylor or John Jenkins. There’s even a little bit of Ian Anderson to his vocal delivery, which I found pretty fascinating for this genre. He’s a good songwriter, the lyrics being pretty fantastic, and it’s a simple, good 12 minutes to sink your teeth into if you’re into this sort of style. My favourite track is probably the more bluesy/Willie Nelson-like ‘Table Service’, but none of them are bad! It’s a solid 7.5/10, and good for anyone just wanting to sit back and relax with some music!

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New Music Mondays: Volbeat, Turnstile and More!

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Another stacked week of new albums, this time featuring some epic returns in the rock and metal world. Let’s check them all out!

Volbeat: God of Angels Trust

The legendary Danish hard rock/metal titans are back following a few years much-needed rest. Between losing their guitarist and Michael having some vocal issues, I was starting to worry about if we’d ever get the band back, especially after 2021’s return to form. However, the band have had a run of amazing singles this year, and brought them together into one hell of an album. It really feels like an amalgamation of all their previous stuff, too. Whether it’s the more old-school, Beyond Hell opening couple to the more Seal the Deal-esque ‘Acid Rain’ and ‘Time Heal’ to the Servent of the Mind-like ‘Demonic Depression’, it really feels like a culmination of their sound, in a sense. And of course they return to the punky, almost Dead Kennedys vibe with ‘Better be Fueled Than Tamed’, for good measure. Honestly, I fucking love it all! Every song I’ve mentioned already is a big highlight, but honestly there isn’t a bad track throughout thus entire release. It’s 44-minutes of epic riffing and catchy, massive melodies like truly only Volbeat can do. The boys are very much back, and I’ve listened to this a LOT over the weekend, with no signs of slowing down any time soon. Expect it to end up high on our list of albums of the year come December, that’s for sure. A very solid 9/10!

Turnstile: NEVER ENOUGH

I have seen a lot of people super hyped for this release. However, even after seeing them live, they are simply just not a band I seem to ‘get’. And, though I do prefer it on track, it’s still not really my sort of thing. The hardcore punk elements are good, but don’t quite have the edge and grit of their contemporaries due to the crisp production, massive sound and alt rock electronic elements. It’s like they’ve tried to smash together Twenty-One Pilots and Black Flag to… interesting… results. I didn’t mind ‘SOLE’, ‘DULL’ and ‘SLOWDIVE’, but there was also a handful of the more atmospheric, more ambient tracks that I could leave. The riffing was the biggest highlight of the album; I think if it wasn’t for the fuzzy guitars I’d have been fully out. I also kept thinking I’d heard them before but I hadn’t, which is arguably a bad thing as it means a good few of them sound samey.

I completely get this band have a lot of fans and why that is. This will be loved by a lot of people. They are a damn talented collection of musicians. But this really wasn’t my sort of thing. Outside of a couple of songs that I’ve mentioned already, I won’t be revisiting this album. So, for that, it sadly gets a 4/10. Please don’t come at me, I’m sorry…!

Mother Mother: Nostalgia

Just a year removed from their incredible last release, the indie rock Canadians are back with their 10th studio album. As much as I loved that album, I’m struggling to get into this one a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it took me a little to appreciate The Grief Chapter fully, but this is taking even more. It’s a lot more indie than their previous release; where are the RIFFS?! Stuff like ‘ON AND ON’ made me feel that same love for the band, but it was fewer and further between than I’d have liked. Songs like ‘Make Believe’ and ‘FINGER’ are also good, but not in the same ways. Maybe this is what the band always sound like and I just jumped in at a time that did it best for me with their last album? Either way, it’s not a bad release by any stretch, but it’s certainly not what I hoped for heading into this. If you are a fan of the band or genre, it’s worth checking out, and it may grow on me. However, for now, I can’t give it any more than a 5/10

Crowe Boys: Made to Wander

The debut album from the Americana/country brothers is honestly incredible, especially for a first release. The pair are plenty experienced, living on the road with their family in a gospel band. However, that shouldn’t necessarily translate across to writing music, especially music THIS GOOD. ‘Bootstraps’ is an absolutely amazing song, and sets the tone for the rest of the release perfectly. Then you have songs like ‘Debris’, ‘Bonfire in my Soul’ and ‘Lucky to Be Alive’ that are also absolutely massive highlights. It’s like Mumford and Sons meets the likes of Wyatt Flores and Zach Bryan, making for an interesting, epic sound. My only issue is that it does feel like it loses momentum a little in the middle. However, at only 10 tracks and 37-minutes, it’s a fantastically easy listen, especially in one sitting. It’s certainly worth checking out if you are at all curious or into the style, you’ll surely love it as much as I do! I already cannot wait to hear where the band go from here, but for now I’m going to be listening to this album a lot, I’m sure. It gets another very solid 9/10 from us!

Katatonia: Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State

We’ve already checked out this awesome album. Find our review of it here!

The Ting Tings: Home

A band that I’ve loved since my childhood, and another that have returned in a massive way, popping back up out of nowhere after years with that song that has popped off on TikTok. The rest of the album very much follows the same Fleetwood Mac-esque vibe too, having that acoustic/folk/pop/rock blend that the band coined so well back in the day. Of course ‘Dreaming’ is a banger, but so are the likes of ‘Home’, ‘Danced on the Wire’ and ‘Mind Thunder’. It’s a great album to just stick on in the background and just sit back and relax to. We don’t have enough folk like this, or at least not in the mainstream, so if a band like this are going to take a dip into this sound hopefully others follow suit. It’s certainly not going to be for everyone, but I enjoyed this and will certainly have a few tracks in my rotation moving forward. If you are into folk in any way, check this out, you may end up loving it! It gets a 7.5/10 from us!

Inglorious: V

The returns continue this week! Over four years after their last album and subsequent hiatus, Nathan James and his classic rock machine returned with a vengeance back in March with single ‘Testify’. Y’all know I liked that one, and anticipation for this album has been high not just from me, but across the whole scene.

I’m happy to say that I think it lives up to the hype! Of course the singles are bangers, but then you have the likes of the beautiful, epic ‘Believe’ and the faster, sleazier ‘End of the Road’. And, of course, you can’t forget ‘In Your Eyes’, a sound more like something Nathan would have been doing on the musical circuit the last few years. However, the whole album is great; a solid, tight 10 tracks and 40 minutes without a bad one in the batch! It feels very much back to the bands roots, pulling a lot of sound and inspiration from I, while also adding in elements from the albums that proceeded them too. Rich does some incredible work on guitar, a far cry from his other projects in Cradle of Filth and Emperor Chung. Meanwhile, other newcomer Henry Rodgers does great on the drums. And, the writing pairing of Nathan with former-and-current bassist Colin has very much reinvigorated the band, producing something that feels truly special and exciting. The band were once one of the shining leading lights of the NWOCR scene, and this album puts them right back in that conversation again! I’ll most certainly be listening to this again, and it gets a solid 8.5/10 from us!

Pulp: More

The first studio album from the legendary Britpop band in a LONG 24 years is finally here! It’s been a long time coming, with the bands second reunion coming a couple of years ago and them debuting live music at their shows. I haven’t heard any of them so far, going into this completely blind, so let’s see if it lives up tp the hype!

Honestly, it very much lives up to their 90s peak! I was never the biggest fan of the band to begin with, but love the odd song here and there. This is the same. I probably won’t listen to the album front-to-back much, but I love some of the songs throughout and there is no denying it’s all very well written and performed! Songs like the opener, ‘Grown Ups’, and ‘Got to Have Love’ I’d honestly put up there with their greatest hits, they’re that good. It’s another album that’s just damn fun to listen to, and if you’re into the band and somehow haven’t already checked this out, I can’t recommend this enough. There is no one in the business like Jarvis, and it’s so nice to hear him back with the others, making music again! Despite me not being the hugest fan, I really enjoyed this, and it gets a solid 7.5/10!

Tooth Gore: For Losers, By Losers.

The sophomore album from the surf punk Brits follows up Halloween just over a year ago, and arguably builds and improves on the sound perfectly. Opener ‘Uncomfortable’ is a fantastic opener and is going to be stuck in my head for days to come. Then you have the likes of ‘Fungus, Actually’, ‘Black Cat’, ‘No Fighting in Doo-Wop’ and the more ska-punk ‘So?’ that are all also fantastic songs and big highlights. However, there really isn’t a bad song on here! It has as much British indie in the sound as the punk elements, making for a really interesting and referencing sound. Between that and the band clearly not taking themselves all too seriously and having a lot of fun with the music, it makes for a damn enjoyable experience to listen to! We sadly didn’t get the chance to review their debut but I have checked it out since and really enjoyed it, so believe me when I say that this is somehow even better! The band are building a great name for themselves in the underground scene, and this very well could be the release to push them easily up a couple of levels. If you are in any way a punk fan, check this out immediately! I can’t give this any less than 9/10!

Jesse Daniel: Son of the San Lorenzo

The fifth album from the neo-traditional country star dropped last Friday. We checked out his last album almost a year to the day ago and enjoyed it, and this very much feels like a good follow-up with plenty more of the same. Songs like the title track, the more upbeat ‘One’s Too Many’ and ‘Crankster’ are all awesome and big personal highlights. Then you have the duet with Charles Wesley Godwin which couldn’t be a better fit if it tried! However, while a couple may be a bit on the slower side (a few too many in a row, I mean), there really isn’t a bad song on the whole album! As I said, I enjoyed the last album, but honestly I think Jesse tops it with this release! It’s a damn fine country release that goes by in a flash, not feeling like 45-minutes at all. And with it only being 12 months between releases too, it’s a real testament to just how incredible a songwriter Daniel is! If you’re into more of an old-school country sound, I cannot recommend this release enough, check it out as soon as you have the chance. And, in a year so far of amazing country releases, this somehow stands out among some of the best! It gets a very solid 8.5/10 from us!

Pylon Poets: Demise of the Divine

The 80s synth-rock tinged alternative band put out their highly anticipated debut album last Friday and, spoiler alert, it’s a bit good! It honestly reminds me of a heavier version of the Pulp album up above, which isn’t a bad thing at all! Songs like ‘In the End’, ‘Temptation’ and ‘Saviour’ are awesome and going to be stuck in my head for days to come, easy album highlights. However, the whole release is packed full of awesome songs, not a bad one in the bunch. The band are hugely talented songwriters and players, blending together a variety of styles seamlessly and creating something pretty unique with this release. And, for a debut, it’s an incredible high standard! The band have been going a few years now and built their sound and this release pretty perfectly, making this surely an album to take them to the next level. The band certainly have a new fan in me, and this is a solid 8/10 from us!

Passengers In Panic: Amnesia

The sophomore studio album from the heavy/folk metal Greeks builds on everything great about their debut and turns it up to 11. The whole thing is epic, heavy and melodic all in perfect measure, and is really something you have to listen to front-to-back at least once. The opener sets the tone perfectly, and the likes of ‘Echos of Death’, the title track and ‘Erase Me’ are all big highlights, but the whole thing is most certainly worth a listen! I love the folk elements, and while they are done quite a lot in the European scene these days, this still feels pretty unique and stands out among the others, maybe because it has a bit more of a modern metal edge to it too. The band most certainly have a new fan in me, and it’s insane to me that they are already a much bigger name in the scene. It’s a must for any fans of power or folk metal out there, and gets a very solid 8/10 from me!

Reviews

Church of the Pistoleros: Gypsy Pistoleros’ Best Album Yet?

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Gypsy Pistoleros have been a staple part of the UK underground rock and NWOCR scene for a good few years now. I’ve been a fan for a while, enjoying their last album a lot and having seen them a few times live. There’s a pretty large amount of hype surrounding this album’s release so when Lee so kindly sent it over, there was no way I wasn’t reviewing it! Let’s check this out together, shall we?

The opener/title track builds through a cool organ and spoken word part before exploding in with the punky hard rock the band are known for. The verse is awesome, and leads to an incredible chorus, it all being so catchy and fitting together perfectly. The production on it is great too, it sound massive and everything shining through on its own. I love the vocal/guitar jabs in the bridge after the second chorus, a quick section before a final, huge chorus and outro takes us home. It’s a fantastic way to open the album, channelling their Wildhearts influence on their sleeves while also adding in their flamenco-style roots. It’s a definite highlight, and a song that easily makes our playlist.

‘Shadow Walker’ again builds into a fantastic, pretty heavy punky riff. Lee’s vocals sound great over the top of it all, dripping with swagger and attitude. Another massive chorus soon comes in, not being quite as catchy as the previous but fitting the slightly more aggressive tone of the track. I LOVE the heavy bridge between the second on third choruses too, almost feeling like it boarders on a breakdown. It’s another simple-structured song but is so good, and is one I’m already desperate to hear live!

The album takes a slightly slower tempo shift with ‘Whatever Happened to the Old Town’. It’s a bit lighter but immediately gives off heavy Love/Hate vibes in the best ways. And it still builds to a massive, catchy rather epic chorus. The pace picks up a little in the second verse, the drums adding a lot and giving it almost more of a skate-punk feel to it, which I also loved! And that bridge riff with the solid drumming… *chefs kiss*. Plus, the bit after it is catchy as anything, especially thanks to all the backing vocals and harmonies. It’s glammy in such a good way, instantly giving me Pretty Boy Floyd vibes. The ‘oh’s would be amazing in a live setting. It’s another huge highlight of the album, and another easily playlisted song!

Single ‘Last Train to Nowhere’ picks back up the pace and energy in a big way. It’s also quite frankly punk as fuck. The pre and chorus are of course the major focuses of the track, and both are awesome enough to hold it down perfectly. And still, the verses are fun, setting everything else up very well! It’s a short, sweet simple track that is a lot of fun and well worth a listen!

After another release of their exceptional cover of ‘Livin La Vida Loca’, we get another almost punk-ballad in ‘I’m in Love with Myself’. It has that interesting mix of 90s punky hard rock, and the 70s stuff that inspired it. It’s yet another fun song as well with a fantastic song, and wouldn’t at all feel out of place on a Wildhearts release! The band are so good at the radio-track structure of songs, and this is another fantastic example of that. It’s another huge highlight, and should be a massive song for the band if the music industry is at all fair.

‘Last of the Commancheros’ is another slower song, being the closest to an actual ballad we have on the album. The music is stripped back and the piano in the choruses is a nice touch. However, we also get some awesome horn work in the bridge, the most they’ve lent on the flamenco side of their sound so far on the release. It’s a beautiful song and a great change of pace, setting the track apart from the rest of them perfectly.

The pace and rockiness picks back up a little with ‘Dancing Naked in the Rain’, that and ‘Hide Behind a Smile’ being still slower but based more around the rock instrumentation and distortion. Both are great songs, but it does feel like a few slower songs in a row. I missed the intensity of the faster, heavier tracks by the latter track, so maybe a different album arrangement may have helped me. However, it’s an incredibly minor gripe, and I’m probably in the minority!

The closing track on the album, ‘The Prayer’, is the high energy track I’ve wanted, for sure! The drums go hard through a lot of it and the riffing is awesome. Having said that, it is still a little slower in terms of pace. However, it gives the track almost an epic feel to it, and makes it a fantastic choice for a closing song. And it helps that it’s yet another awesome, huge chorus that deserves to be played to massive festival crowds. It’s another excellent song, and the perfect way to close out this album!

Overall: I loved this! I remember reviewing their last one and enjoying it, but it has nothing on this release. Every track is amazing and it really feels like they’ve taken a step up with this album. A lot of it has been stuck in my head for the last couple of days that I’ve spent writing this review, and I’m sure I’ll be spinning it for months to come yet. It is most certainly a big release in the scene, that’s for sure. If you’re a fan of rock music in any way, I cannot recommend checking this out enough!

The Score: 9/10