Wellington, New Zealand’s Planet Hunters latest release has the band doubling down on their version of melodic post hardcore paired with fuzzy stoner grunge, once again producing excellent results.
The seven tracks on Soothsayer flat out rip, showing all the strengths of the band who apparently decided to take their stuff to the next level up. The opener, One Thousand Years From Now, gives me all sorts of 90s post hardcore vibes and flat out rips. Imaging if Foo Fighters didn’t suck after album number one (maybe two, but that could be debated).
Jagged City – There Are More Of Us, Always (Pelagic Records) [Spike]
I’ve spent a fair bit of time wondering why we still bother with the "Post-" tag when most bands use it as an excuse to sound like a photocopier having a mid-life crisis. But then Jagged City arrive with a title like There Are More Of Us, Always, and you realize it’s less of a genre and more of a census.
KaikÅura Lights sounds so much like Quicksand I had to do a doubletake. Give me that all day long, because this song kills. Another little ripper is next with Ouija, a track that straddles the line of Helmet and your more melodic grunge bands from the 90s.
The vocals are just great. Unholy Union, the first single, brings the riffs and shows off the band’s great rhythm section, while doubling down on that Quicksand vibe I mentioned earlier. The guys in Planet Hunter had to have some of the stuff on Revelation Records given what You'll Be Happy sounds like, and I certainly am. What a killer song.
Cataract slows the pace just a bit and creates this wall of sound guitar and sounds like Walter singing for Catherine Wheel. The closer, Lazarus, slows it down even more and dooms it up a bit but doesn’t wander too far from that post hardore thing they do so well.
Wow, Planet Hunter delivered a 28 minute blast of fuzzy post hardcore from New Zealand that just blows me away. Soothsayer rips it up, touching on all sorts of elements that I love, with great vocals and instrumentation, and a Quicksand vibe that is something I will always eat right up. Great stuff. 9/10
Vandor - The Ember Eye P2, The Portal Of Truth (Dragon Forged Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Vandor brings us their eagerly awaited third album, The Portal Of Truth which is part two of The Ember Eye. This album consists of thirteen impressively loud, rich and intensely vast anthems full to the brim with energy, passion and ingenuity to satiate our hunger for power metal. This album is languid and takes on a journey of their latest concept without it feeling like a drain on your battery.
All tracks are seamlessly blended into a triumphant wall of sound that swings from a gratifying assault to the ear drum to an emotionally loaded piece to turn the tables when you when you least expect it. Vandor brings us the absolute specimen of power metal. If you’re a fan of the genre- you’re going to love this one.
Wow, Planet Hunter delivered a 28 minute blast of fuzzy post hardcore from New Zealand that just blows me away. Soothsayer rips it up, touching on all sorts of elements that I love, with great vocals and instrumentation, and a Quicksand vibe that is something I will always eat right up. Great stuff. 9/10
Vandor - The Ember Eye P2, The Portal Of Truth (Dragon Forged Records) [Cherie Curtis]
Vandor brings us their eagerly awaited third album, The Portal Of Truth which is part two of The Ember Eye. This album consists of thirteen impressively loud, rich and intensely vast anthems full to the brim with energy, passion and ingenuity to satiate our hunger for power metal. This album is languid and takes on a journey of their latest concept without it feeling like a drain on your battery.
All tracks are seamlessly blended into a triumphant wall of sound that swings from a gratifying assault to the ear drum to an emotionally loaded piece to turn the tables when you when you least expect it. Vandor brings us the absolute specimen of power metal. If you’re a fan of the genre- you’re going to love this one.
It has all the hallmarks of what you expect from them; dynamic builds, textured instrumentals and creative riffs which will either have you fist pumping or at the very least, tapping your feet. The vocals are heady and soaring and the pitch is admirable. The lyrics are a blend of melancholy and optimistic and are catchy enough to have you singing when the second chorus wraps around.
Vandor has only been around for seven years (which I believe is a short amount of time for a band to develop their image) and their sound is incredibly well crafted and precise to the minute details. On the first listen I assumed I was listening to a decades old band who were cast into the shadows of the likes of Helloween.
I loved this one. I currently have the tracks Disease and Last One Of My Kind on my rotation. As a fan of this genre, it scratches an itch in my brain, there’s nothing to fault here.
Vandor has only been around for seven years (which I believe is a short amount of time for a band to develop their image) and their sound is incredibly well crafted and precise to the minute details. On the first listen I assumed I was listening to a decades old band who were cast into the shadows of the likes of Helloween.
I loved this one. I currently have the tracks Disease and Last One Of My Kind on my rotation. As a fan of this genre, it scratches an itch in my brain, there’s nothing to fault here.
The overall composition is fantastic and the recording and mixing is professional. For the people who can neither take nor leave power metal, maybe it’s a bit to theatrical but if you're a lover of a catchy chorus with an avalanche of thrilling riffs then definitely give this one a go. 10/10.
Jagged City – There Are More Of Us, Always (Pelagic Records) [Spike]
I’ve spent a fair bit of time wondering why we still bother with the "Post-" tag when most bands use it as an excuse to sound like a photocopier having a mid-life crisis. But then Jagged City arrive with a title like There Are More Of Us, Always, and you realize it’s less of a genre and more of a census.
It’s a threat to the "Them" and a rallying cry for the "Us", the people living in the gaps between the high-rises and the derelict industrial estates. This isn't just a collection of songs; it’s a sonic map of a city that’s constantly trying to build over its own pulse.
The record opens with (Don’t Dream Its Over), and if you’re expecting a Crowded House cover or a polite singalong, you’ve taken a wrong turn. It’s a totally instrumental piece, a wordless, atmospheric threshold that feels like the quiet before a storm.
The record opens with (Don’t Dream Its Over), and if you’re expecting a Crowded House cover or a polite singalong, you’ve taken a wrong turn. It’s a totally instrumental piece, a wordless, atmospheric threshold that feels like the quiet before a storm.
It’s the sound of a city waking up before the noise takes over, setting a mood that suggests that hope isn't something you talk about; it's something you feel in the vibration of the pavement.
That initial stillness is immediately traded for the rhythmic friction of Imaginary Lines and Rain And Sirens. This is where the band’s actual architecture shows through. The guitars aren't "lush"; they’re jagged, stabbing things that dart around a bassline that feels like a persistent, low-grade anxiety.
That initial stillness is immediately traded for the rhythmic friction of Imaginary Lines and Rain And Sirens. This is where the band’s actual architecture shows through. The guitars aren't "lush"; they’re jagged, stabbing things that dart around a bassline that feels like a persistent, low-grade anxiety.
It perfectly captures that urban background noise, the sirens in the distance, the rain hitting the windscreen and turns it into something melodic yet entirely unsettling. It’s the kind of sound that makes you want to walk faster down a dark street.
Ocean East, Ocean West and Hairspring move with a mechanical strut that suggests the band has spent a lot of time watching the world move from the window of a stationary train.
Ocean East, Ocean West and Hairspring move with a mechanical strut that suggests the band has spent a lot of time watching the world move from the window of a stationary train.
It’s hypnotic and repetitive, a masterclass in building tension without ever truly giving you the release you’re looking for. It’s that wired tightness, a feeling that something is about to snap, even as the rhythm keeps its cold, clinical pace.
The production avoids the usual high-gloss pitfalls that rob this kind of music of its teeth. By the time Minus Power kicks in, the energy feels properly depleted, not through a lack of effort, but through the sheer weight of the city’s indifference. It’s a grey-afternoon-in-an-industrial-estate sound. Grim, persistent, and entirely essential.
The finale, (Deluge In A Paper Cup), brings the record back to that intimate space. It’s a messy, beautiful closer that feels like the aftermath of a riot and the realization that despite the overwhelming odds, the crowd is still standing.
The production avoids the usual high-gloss pitfalls that rob this kind of music of its teeth. By the time Minus Power kicks in, the energy feels properly depleted, not through a lack of effort, but through the sheer weight of the city’s indifference. It’s a grey-afternoon-in-an-industrial-estate sound. Grim, persistent, and entirely essential.
The finale, (Deluge In A Paper Cup), brings the record back to that intimate space. It’s a messy, beautiful closer that feels like the aftermath of a riot and the realization that despite the overwhelming odds, the crowd is still standing.
It’s not a "fix" for the urban malaise, but it’s a hell of a way to document the struggle of the many against the few. 8/10
Wicked Leather - Season Of The Witch (Lost Realm Records) [Matt Bladen]
Have you ever wondered what a trad metal band fronted by pop sensation Anastacia sounded like?
Well wonder no more as Wicked Leather sound exactly like that. Occult-tinged, twin axe, traditional heavy metal with vocalist who has a soulful sneer, the band from Barcelona aren't reinventing the wheel with their sophomore album.
It's more of what they brought to the table on their 2025 debut to be honest in that nothing is particularly inspiring but you nod your head, yeah it's got a darker tone but then so have hundreds of other bands in this category.
Unfortunately the vocals ruin any enjoyment as they just don't fit with the music at all, even if you like the voice of the Chicago singer of Left Outside Alone, here it's like bad impression that never seems to change at all. It may be the Season Of The Witch but this brew can't result on magic. 4/10
Wicked Leather - Season Of The Witch (Lost Realm Records) [Matt Bladen]
Have you ever wondered what a trad metal band fronted by pop sensation Anastacia sounded like?
Well wonder no more as Wicked Leather sound exactly like that. Occult-tinged, twin axe, traditional heavy metal with vocalist who has a soulful sneer, the band from Barcelona aren't reinventing the wheel with their sophomore album.
It's more of what they brought to the table on their 2025 debut to be honest in that nothing is particularly inspiring but you nod your head, yeah it's got a darker tone but then so have hundreds of other bands in this category.
Unfortunately the vocals ruin any enjoyment as they just don't fit with the music at all, even if you like the voice of the Chicago singer of Left Outside Alone, here it's like bad impression that never seems to change at all. It may be the Season Of The Witch but this brew can't result on magic. 4/10
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