A View From The Field: Stonedead Festival (Misfit Jax)

Stonedead Festival, Newark Showgrounds, 29.08.26

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The cliche rainy festival weather finally caught up to Newark Showgrounds for Stonedead Festival, but that didn't dampen the spirits of the festival goers. The parking for both campers and non campers is perfect as the event is easy just to walk in and walk out. 

So if you need to put some band merch or goodies from the stalls away in your car or to go and have a nap in your tent, it's not a long trudge. Held once a year, it was muddy, wet, thankfully not too cold, so still fairly temperate, never the less people sat in their chairs, stood in their spots watching, drinking, eating, enjoying the weekend merriment.

Stalls and food sets are more like a circular layout than this over here or that over there, whether you're shopping or hungry easy to find for what you fancy being band merch, maybe some patches, a curry, sandwiches or some nice jewellery.

The Stonedead volunteer crew is more like a family than a unit like everyone is familiar with each other than just strangers looking for festival work put together, no egos, no cliques, everyone steps in, Krusher Joule of course was Krusher, being who he's always been but makes it work as an MC of the festival with anecdotes and unapologetic humour.

Aethoria (7) were up first, energetic, moving between fast and slow parts easily, while also bringing the melodic a mixed blend musical flow. A good opening for the festival, and I'll also mention that they were very elegant and polite when addressing the crowd not even swearing. (What nice boys - Ed)

Next it got louder with Asomvel (8). All leather jackets, snarling vocals, double kick bass drums, a bassist that plays lead as the band put their sound through a huge stacks of Marshall amps (Remind you of anyone?) Never the less they are their own band and play the mix of rock n roll and speed metal, encouraging audience participation with I Was Born To Rock N Roll and Asomvel want them to shout and be passionate about it. They even gave a sneak peak of new material from Set Your World On Fire as Stonedead was lucky to hear that.

Pennsylvania based band Crobot (6) were following that. Not to be confused with Crowbar, this is very much groove metal/rock that gets your toes tapping, as well as head banging, for those that can of course. They have an element of the American blues still remains in their music which gives you a feeling as if you're driving and taking road trips or racking up for a game of billards in your local, easygoing an groovy, Crobot were a step toward the calmer tunes.

As soon as The Damn Truth (7) step on stage you've been sent back in time. Their look, the music has that late 60s early, 70s rock nostalgia feel while also keeping it present. Despite some minor technical errors, they made it work and giving it everything they got for the festival. They wer also the first band to get the beach ball going, while giving the Stonedead crowd first dibs on their album vinyl before release on Sept 11th this year.

Due to lateness, Armoured Saint's (7) set time was cut a bit short. Still to great to have John Bush (who most of us we remember from his time in Anthrax as well) with his original band, playing on a stage that wasn't one of the larger festivals in the UK. Probably a discovery for some, a long wait for nostalgia for others. Enjoyable to see Armored Saint do their thing despite their shorter set. 

Power metal graces the grounds of Stonedead with Battlebeast (9), who again had a few technical issues, but managed to get over them. Now fronted by Marina La Torraca (Phantom Elite/Exit Eden) they got the crowd very hyped for their full force power metal.Like many power metal bands they brought fire to the Stonedead stage though or in the case of the weather perhaps brought the storm.

Midlands rock legends Magnum (7) followed but again some more techicnal issues meant the vocals of Bob Catley were a bit off but this veteran band played on. With the audience of Stonedead full of longtime fans, they were warmly appreciated anyway, no matter what happened. So there was plenty of effort that thankfully got picked up later performance, lettinn longtime fans enjoying the nostalgia of this band and pay tribute to the departed Tony Clarkin. 

German metal legends Accept (9) made their Stonedead debut and the Teutonic metal crew, brought the pyro, the smoke, the aura with them and some confetti cannons too but they bring it with twin axe attack. With the band celebrating being Half a Century old, this was a celebration. They brought John Bush on stage for a song and while doing their final number Balls To The Wall, halfway through the second chorus,the tech blew out. 

There came a chuckle, the band and audience seeing the funny side to it. We all sang along till the tech was fixed and so it was and away they all went back to the song. Accept play heavy metal classics but you must give to the band props for their choreography making it a whole a performance together rather than just playing in their spots, true heavy metal legends. 

Mainly known to the world and mainstream listeners as the band who sang the Final Countdown, Europe (9) have many moresongs than that, in recent years releasing some of their best work as they have moved toward a bluesier hard rock sound. Thankfully the Stonedead crowd are discerning and are familiar with the majority of their songs. Europe's presence now is as just entertaining as it was in the 80s even though the wardrobe, and the hair has changed. 

Playing older and newer material the fans were cheering every moment of the experience, which due to the rules of Stonedead will be their one and only time seeing them at the festival so they had to make it count since if you wanna catch them again it will be at a different gig or festival. Closing the festival with 'that song' will always make sure you bring the house down and that's excatly what Europe did.

In closing whether you wish to camp and stay over or just want a one and done festival experience while enjoying bands of both then and now, classic and upcoming, then pop or should I say rock to the Midlands for this soon to be almost a decade well established event from to the fans to the fans. 

It's value for your tickets and wallet plus as said before you have to make the memories count when bands you enjoy or get familiar with for future enjoyment only play here once. So you really make it count big time that's their choice, not mine unlike other festivals that bring back bands. 

So Stonedead festival is worthy of being up there like the steelhouse festival, need I say more.

Reviews: Triosphere, Pyroclast, Xenith, Lifeswallower (Matt Bladen)

Triosphere - Oceans Above, Stars Below (Frontiers Music Srl)

Christ this is a blast from the past! The last Triosphere album, The Heart Of The Matter was released in 2014 (!) so there's been some expectation surrounding a fourth album, as they seemed to go into an extended hiatus which was extended by life circumstances, the pandemic and more.

They originally announced that they had started writing the record in 2016 but ten years later we finally get to hear Oceans Above, Stars Below as the Norwegian band sign to Frontiers Music and again recruit Jens Borgen to mix the record as they recorded with engineer/producer Alexander Backlund.

So with such a long gestation period what is Oceans Above, Stars Below actually like? Well it's definitely Triosphere at their most varied, still rooted in their muscular prog power, the foursome spread their wings with shifts into fast paced thrash metal, anthemic hard rock on Shorelines and soaring balladry on Encore.

Ida Haukland reaffirms how incredibly powerful her vocals are for anyone who may have forgotten after all this time in both Encore and Through The Phantom Wall as her bass gives the rhythmic grunt alongside drummer Kenneth Tårneby on killer cuts such as Orpheus' Bane.

Guitarists Marius Bergesen and Tor Ole Byberg take every opportunity to trade off solos and riffs, through the prog power of Cadence Of Chaos, the hard rock of Monster's Ball and Lightning In A Bottle as well as the blistering Of Tyrants.

Oceans Above, Stars Below sees Triosphere returning after a lengthy absence with an album that goes further into rock and balladry than they have before, but it means that this is their most varied and for my money best record. A supreme return for Triosphere. 9/10

Pyroclast - Fractured State (Furious Music)

Heavy metal band Pyroclast are both tectonic and Teutonic as their name and the first song from that album all share the same title, which is an actual tectonic event that causes devastation.

However they are also Teutonic in the musical sense with a style of heavy metal that comes from the German traditional/speed metal sound of Accept, Helloween, Blind Guardian and of course as they're Scottish they also draw heavily from the NWOBHM with the likes of Iron Maiden on Brought By The Flame and Beneath The Beyond, where the bass gallops alongside a twin axe attack.

Fractured State is their second studio album and it sees them exploring many different themes with their lyrics, upping their progressive influence due to the changes in time and pace that many of these songs contain especially the epic final number Erebus & Terror which was inspired by the 1845 Franklin Expedition, known as the 'Lost Expedition'.

Formerly known as Tantrum, as their music evolved they switched to the more incendiary Pyroclast and this new moniker reflects their molten mass of classic heavy metal sound much better. With riffs on the heavier end, a vocalist who has a Blaze Bayley-like holler and just anthemic trad metal throughout, Fractured State is a powerful follow up from Scots Pyroclast. 8/10

Xenith - To No Avail (Self Released)

Manchester band Xenith debuted in 2024 with and EP but in 2026 they deliver the first full length To No Avail, a ten track exercise in melodeath that borrows from the Scandinavian/Nordic sound heavily.

Bands like At The Gates, Children Of Bodom and Dark Tranquility can be heard in this record but also channel a band like Opeth when they use acoustic passages on Take Me Back Where I Belong as well as the New American school of bands like Trivium on Alone, which thrashes with dual guitar intensity and throat shredding vocals.

The whole record is tight and focused, the four piece in a rabid synchronicity that needs to be there for melodeath, guitars solos and twin leads galore are strewn through the technical thrash riffs as the band widen their scope from the EP, exploring with their songwriting to bring some progressive and introspective textures, making their overall impact much stronger than just outright speed and precision.

It's a strong full length debut for Xenith as they combine the Scandi-Nordic sound with some Anglo-American grunt. 7/10

Lifeswallower - Lifeswallower (Prog On! Recordings)

In the PR for this EP there's plenty of bands mentioned that Lifeswallower think they sound like, there's Gojira, Morbid Angel and Sikth but on Defy My Word I would say the majority influence is Strapping Young Lad. The music is extreme, had breakneck switches in style, fluid guitar solos, clean moments, death metal riffs and crazy vocals that go from harsh growls to black metal screams, then from shouts to operatic cleans.

Lifeswallower are band formed by four veteran members of the English extreme metal scene, initally dedicated to playing 1990's death metal covers but these rehearsals led to the creation of their own songs which combine all of the bands they were covering together adding some of the more progressive and Avant garde artists from the UK metal scene.

It's like sub-genre bingo this record feeling like it was written by a team of mathematicians with an metal addiction rather than a band as Compound Fears puts angular heaviness, ever changing riffs with Nevermore aspiring vocals, it's all very complex but I did find myself not fully blown away as it feels like style is most is at the forefront over substance. 6/10

Reviews: Chat Pile, Sleep, Polymoon, Sworn (Joe Guatieri, Rich Piva, Spike & Mark Young)

Chat Pile - Who Loves The Sun (The Flenser) [Joe Guatieri]

Chat Pile are a band that I feel like need no introduction at this point. 

Not even a decade since the Oklahoma Sludge Metal band formed back in 2019 and they’ve already erected a brilliant and varied discography consisting of three studio albums, two killer EPs and plenty more for someone to sink their teeth into. 

Their debut full-length God’s Country is art of the highest degree to me, a listen that is both anxiety-inducing and monstrous. Chat Pile knows how to scratch that itch for people who enjoy extremity within their music.

I’ve seen the band live twice now, the first time was when they headlined The Fleece back in June of 2024 where they played with meth and Modern Technology and the second occasion was seeing them play the main stage at ArcTanGent Festival this year. They install a passion and grit within me that envelops my entire person, making me feel feral and rarely does a live band do that to me quite like them.

I have no shame in calling them my favourite band today and with their latest release that I am reviewing now, Who Loves The Sun, I had sky high expectations for it, let’s see how I found it shall we?

The record opens with a track called Creature. The riff is nasty, having both a grating and mechanical feel to it, alongside Cap’n Ron’s signature shotgun drums. It carries heavy influence from Nirvana’s Bleach with a Shellac instinct for space within the instrumentation. 

Vocalist Raygun Busch beats up his throat in his own classic style, straining every word like it’s his last. At the end of the piece there is a Hardcore type of breakdown which reminds me of Korn, it sends rumbles throughout my body as Creature is beaten out of existence.

Next up we go into track three, titled Same Rules and it immediately offers up new territory for Chat Pile from the get-go with use of a drum machine and lo-fi production. I get visions of a lonesome desert landscape that stretches out for eternity and with the lack of supplies, you start to see things that aren’t really there.

Same Rules then sweeps the rug out from underneath your feet from 2:28 as it goes from mystery into being chased by an unknown entity as a gigantic other-worldly guitar curtesy of Luther Manhole hits your ears like a tone of fucking bricks! In many ways this song is like a much darker and primal version of Ween.

We then dive deeper into Who Loves The Sun with track six, Intruder. One of the most unique songs on the entire album, it’s energy is simply stunning as at any time, the band has got three or four ideas going on which all miraculously fit together, showing maximum creativity. 

The song is oddly bouncy having a surprising Surf Rock feel, then having striking a mood change into something way more aggressive as by the chorus, the instruments lock in and volume is cranked all the way up within seconds.

Intruder also has Stin’s best bass playing on the entire record as it just sings above everything else, I just want to drown in it, it’s so smooth and the song is topped off by a beautiful anti-guitar solo which I welcome with a gigantic smile on my face. Throughout its runtime, Intruder sounds like its scared of itself.

Later on we have track nine with Family Funeral, a song that is haunting, tragic and beautiful all at the same time. Both Raygun’s words and the band's sound echo the dread of heartbreak as the world that you once knew is being destroyed around you. The lyrics detail isolation and not being uncomfortable in where you live and who you’re with.

It’s overwhelming in every single sense of the word and I can’t help but cry to it, it’s a panic attack that takes the form of a song. It’s not only my favourite song from the LP but I think that it is among one of the best songs that Chat Pile has ever made!

Chat Pile has made another stunning record here. It defines what the band is all about to me, they make beautiful art about the most terrible things in life. Although it doesn’t quite hit those perfect teeth-grinding highs of God’s Country for me, Who Loves The Sun gets pretty damn close! I shall leave you with a snippet of lyrics from Family Funeral as it defines what the record is all about to me.

I never wanted to be in love. Awful thing, dreadful thing. It felt like it came from nowhere, ok? And it frightened me how all consuming it was and I gave you everything. I gave you everything, I gave you everything to help you achieve your dreams. 9/10

Sleep - Hempispheres (Third Man Records) [Rich Piva]

I am going into this review with zero emotions, mostly because I have none left to give, but also because I have not seen this must discourse created about the mere existence of a set of songs since The Deftones made the Doom Charts. 

I would not have bet a new record by Sleep would elicit as much gatekeeping over the last few weeks, especially for a scene where people love to say there is not as much going on as other scenes today (this is for a different write up), but here we are, a new album from “Sleep”. 

Let’s get this out of the way first: Should Al Cicneros have called this band Sleep? That is his cross (spliff?) to bear. Is the band who wrote and played the five songs on the record, Hempispheres, really Sleep? Again, Al’s problem, not mine. 

Can there be a Sleep without Matt Pike? Debatable, but Al replacing him with Bubba Dupree to me shows that Al wasn’t looking to replace, he was looking to take the band to a different plane of existence. 

Bubba is an amazing and unique player, definitely not Matt Pike, and I have to believe that is what Al was going for. Dale Crover rules, so no need for discussion there. So, now that all of that is out of the way, what about the songs?

For some of you this will not matter if the songs are good or not because there is no Sleep without Pike. 

For those of you who judge things based on the actual music and care what I think, I really dig Hempispheres when I listen to it based on nothing except the songs. It is smooth and chill, filled with Cicneros’s trademarked playing and delivery. 

Bubba Dupree’s playing is top notch, just different. There is this level of precision that is off the charts, but that at any point can go off the rails with his approach, which creates this kind of explosion anticipation throughout the journey though space. 

Yes, his tone is not like Pike’s and would be a reason why you may hear this record and not think Sleep, but you should think that it is great, because it is. 

Crover is Crover, and his playing fits perfectly with the other two thirds of the trio and keeps the ship in flight. I love the production on the record, as I can hear every single note perfectly, which I assure would be amplified even more if one decided to check this out with some enhancement, if you get my drift.

So basically I really, really dig the new Sleep record. Should it be a Sleep record? Not for me to say. Al has his reasons and the Sleep name means a lot. I am not going to judge those decisions. What I will say is that I think listeners would be falling over each other on how good this record is if it was not named Sleep. 

Take that for what it is, but these five songs are really great, no matter what the band’s name is. 8/10

Polymoon – Mariposa Magic! (Vesperian) [Spike]

Anyone who knows my musical sweet tooth knows that if you lay down thick walls of fuzz, saturated distortion, and ethereal, disembodied vocals that sound like they’re floating in from another galaxy, you’ve basically got me hooked before the needle even clears the run-in groove. It is absolute catnip to my ears. 

Finnish outfit Polymoon call their peculiar corner of heavy music "psychedelic post-gaze," and on their third full-length Mariposa Magic!, they deliver on that premise in spades. 

Following on from Caterpillars Of Creation and Chrysalis, this record takes everything that worked previously and stretches it out into a glorious, mind-bending kaleidoscope.

The opening moments of Ultra Bloom grab you instantly. The chords ring out with a massive, warm distortion that lands somewhere between the space-rock majesty of Hum and the towering, cosmic heft of Elder or Torche. Yet Polymoon are never just a tribute act. 

Produced once again by Juho Vanhanen (frontman of Oranssi Pazuzu), the record possesses that strange, hypnotic undercurrent that Finnish psych bands do better than anyone else. It sounds expansive and unhurried, but there’s a real, physical muscle beneath all that shimmering reverb.

They follow the opener with I End, You Begin, a razor-sharp four-minute blast where Kalle-Erik Kosonen’s dreamlike vocals cut through waves of synthesizers and heavy guitar crunch. 

It’s got a buoyant post-punk bounce that wouldn't feel out of place on an 80s alternative playlist, except it’s been injected with a ton of fuzz and low-end drive.

What elevates the record into something truly special is how naturally it breathes across the longer compositions. Velvet Rain and Lost In Sound, Found In Color layer atmospheric synths over rolling rhythm sections, balancing ethereal quiet with sudden, eruptive walls of noise. 

It pulls from shoegaze, classic prog, and heavy doom-pop without ever losing its melodic compass.

The seven-minute centrepiece Glass House, Mortal Rooms is easily one of the finest things the band has ever put to tape. It builds slowly, stacking delay pedals and synth textures until the whole track surges into a towering, emotional crescendo that feels designed to swallow you whole. 

It moves effortlessly into the cosmic crawl of Welcome To Another Dimension and the soaring finale Harvest Of Stars, bringing the journey to an utterly satisfying close.

Sure, you can pick out the touchstones if you dig around; a dash of space rock here, a nod to vintage psych there but there is so much more going on beneath the surface. Polymoon have crafted an immersive, beautifully produced album that rewards multiple spins and demands to be played loud on decent speakers. 

If you love your heavy music drenched in fuzz, melody, and otherworldly atmospheres, Mariposa Magic! is an essential listen. 9/10

Sworn - Null Crowned The Infinite (The Circle Music) [Mark Young]

And the last one for this week is Sworn, with their newest offering of black metal that is simply more than just ‘black metal’. Active since 2005 or so, Null is their 5th full length album so I’m coming to their party slightly late. The Starless Origin is quite the opus, a 12 minute ice cold blast that leaves nothing to chance in getting you locked in for the songs that follow. 

If I had to describe this, its tempo sits in the middle, content to almost amble along. Don’t mistake this for being dull in any way as the pace is set to suit its arrangement. Its full, with an expansive sound. There is an upshift in speed, the racing drums and guitars that are a trademark of black metal the world over coming in. 

This is where Sworn show their other side, bringing a cold brutality to play. Not a lot of albums start with a 12 minute song, and certainly without the scope it contains. It just seems to grow in stature and there is a mint outro that is just royal. It sets an impossibly high bar, just for how expansive it is. Null Crowned The Infinite sees a return to ‘normal’ service, playing out with a more standard runtime. 

If The Starless Origin represents throwing everything at you (in a controlled manner) then this one plays out with a super keen focus. Its traditional black metal in the respect of the tempo changes but that is what you expect from them. 

What you should concentrate on is how they put their songs together; there is an energy running through it even in the slower stripped back melodic moments. The lead break just fits like it has been machined to suit. 

At this point they are on a roll; A Cosmic Storm is next up and slots into place, simply maintaining the very good work that has been set in place. It also represents a prime example of not taking their eye off the ball which it would have been so easy to do. 

Fracture Of Aeons is possibly a better example of that, this one scorches its own path from the start, with a stunning lead that comes in around the 2 minute 30 mark that is cracking. And this is the thing; at first, I thought that the opener was like their best offering, something that suggests that it was the purest output from them in one place and that whatever came next would sit within its shadow. 

I’ve changed my mind in that The Starless Origin is definitely one of the songs of the year, the ones that follow on here are not poor imitations or afterthoughts. They are fully fleshed out, with a complete identity and a build that is unique to them. Yes, they are rooted in black metal norms but they have more about them so to call them that is wrong.

Circle Of The Eternal finishes off what is a very good album, one that sets the watermark incredibly high from the off. This is a set of songs from a band I would consider to be one of the true exponents of this kind. Yes, that opener could have ruined the rest of the songs by being better than everything else but it didn’t. 

The rest complimented the opener in such a way that they built off the foundations laid at the start. This end track coasts its way to a triumphant end, and I mean that in a sincere way. 

All in all, this is a superb album of well crafted, superbly put together metal that should appeal to more than just fans of black metal. 9/10

Reviews: Crumbling Ghost, Oddland, Grand, Nova Riot (Spike & Matt Bladen)

Crumbling Ghost – Four (New Heavy Sounds) [Spike]

There's an old saying that if you dig deep enough into traditional British folk, you'll find murder, betrayals, and dark ritual long before metal ever invented them. Crumbling Ghost understand this better than almost anyone. They’ve been operating under the radar for a while now, earning quiet nods of respect from the likes of Stuart Maconie and Stewart Lee while sharing stages with Hawkwind and Damo Suzuki. Their fourth release, simply titled Four, takes ancient songs and drenches them in heavy, fuzzy stoner rock and doom.

The record kicks off with Bows Of London, and for the first two minutes, it plays like a sweet, delicate folk song. Then out of nowhere, the band steps on the fuzz pedals and a wall of crushing, thick guitar riffs rips right through the acoustic haze. It’s an incredible moment that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Think Fairport Convention playing through vintage Sunn amps, or a pastoral version of Sonic Youth set loose on English folklore.

What sets Crumbling Ghost apart from a band like Green Lung is how they handle the "folk horror" element. Green Lung lean heavily into theatrics and hammer-horror visuals, which is great fun, but Crumbling Ghost take a very different path. Here, the dark atmosphere comes directly from the songs themselves. Tracks like Bill Norrie and The Unquiet Grave don't need gimmicks; the original lyrics are already terrifying enough, and wrapping them in slow, heavy doom riffs only brings that weight out into the light.

The album has a fantastic flow to it. Instrumental pieces like Valtz Efter Tor Lohne provide a moody breather, while Lovely Joan and Gower Wassail demonstrate how naturally acoustic melodies can bend into heavy psych jams. Last Of All Sleep pulls everything back down into an atmospheric, sombre lull before The Unquiet Grave brings the curtain down.

It’s rare to hear a band blend two distinct genres so effortlessly without it feeling like a trick. Crumbling Ghost have created something genuinely special here, a heavy, beautiful, and deeply eerie record that deserves far more attention than it's had. 9/10

Oddland - Unilluminate To Illuminate (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

This is definitely an odd land as this Finnish progressive metal band put all matter of influences into their music beginning the record with saxophone that is met by the chunky modern prog metal of Vola, Haken or tour mates Soen.

Unilluminate To Illuminate is a record about innovation, polarity and that we need "darkness in order to find joy in light". The complexities of these ideas are explored by a band that are at their creative peak, honed on stage, they have created a record that is conceptual as dynamic, layered progressive metal meets a strong melodic sense.

The stage for experimentation is set with the tribal meets jazz rhythms of Amokinus an intro that gets the album off to a flying start and shifts into the palm muted riffs of Eternal Erode as Oddland define their modern prog metal credentials. For a four piece they play music with layers, even in the vocals the lower and higher ends combine with dramatic, numbers like Soar where string arrangements are used well.

The strings are just the start though as Oddland have multiple instruments you may not associate with metal throughout this record, on Illuminate especially but it is a very metal record as Freefall reminds me a lot of Vola while Act Of Solace and Red Canvas draw from Soen or Katatonia, making it perfect for fans of these bands but never blatant copies.

Unilluminate To Illuminate works with both the dark and light to create it's prog metal magic, a dynamic record for fans of heavy prog that takes risks but has strong melodic moment. 9/10

Grand - Guilty Pleasure (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

Swedish melodic rockers Grand bring some Guilty Pleasure with their new album of the same name.

Chorus driven AOR with more hooks than a pirate convention as they set the tone of the record on Wild Heart with some modern AOR balladry, that has been monopolised by Sweden but was born in the 80's through FM radio.

It's music that comes from the point where rock and pop collide in some high energy tracks built on a solid rhythm section who along with the melodic keys all come from new members injecting some fresh blood into Grand. As they join the strutting guitar lines and big vocals of the men that founded the group.

With the adding a few new wrinkles since this debut in 2022 as they lean into the likes of Foreigner, Toto and Mr Big, given lush production that sounds great on the swaggering title track, the pop infected Have A Little Faith, as Party Galore brings the blue collar sound of Rick Springfield.

This is very much a Guilty Pleasure from Grand, AOR that is at its shiniest and most radio friendly. 7/10

Nova Riot – Blood, Lies and Lullabies (Eclipse Records) [Spike]

Lipstick-red sigils, heavy low-tuned chugs, and high-gloss pop melodies—Oklahoma’s Nova Riot aren't trying to hide behind a veil of garage obscurity. They describe their sound as "bubblegum alternative metal," and while a phrase like that might make traditional purists wince, it’s an accurate tag for what this trio is doing. 

On their debut, Blood, Lies And Lullabies, they mix the heavy, cinematic bounce of Spiritbox and Bad Omens with the dark, theatrical pop melodrama of Violent Vira and Poppy. It’s slick, stylized, and unapologetically modern.

Formed in 2024 by vocalist Nova Ray, bassist Orion, and lead guitarist Ares, the band bypassed the usual local dive bar circuit entirely, choosing instead to launch as a polished, studio-ready package. Bringing in veteran King Diamond drummer Matt Thompson to handle the kit behind the boards gives these seven tracks a muscular, relentless backbone that keeps the pop hooks grounded in real, heavy metal weight.

The record opens with Haunting Me, dropping you straight into a mix of pulsing electronic atmosphere and low-tuned guitar riffs before Nova Ray’s vocals take over. She moves easily between polished, soaring melodies and raw, edge-of-breakdown grit. It leads right into Midnight Coven Crush, which is easily the catchiest track on the release. It’s pure witchy pop-metal, built around a thumping rhythm, lipstick sigils, and a chant-along hook that’s bound to stay stuck in your head for days.

The middle section keeps the momentum high with Casket and The Altar, the latter featuring a guest spot from post-hardcore outfit The Bunny The Bear. The electronic layers and dark synths give the heavy breakdowns room to breathe without making the production feel crowded. Like I Meant It brings a venomous alternative rock punch to a breakup narrative, balancing sharp, observational lyrics with driving guitars.

Where the record takes a stark pivot is the final track, Sorry Mom. After six tracks of slick aesthetic and heavy anthems, the band strips away the neon sheen for a painfully direct, uncomfortable look at mental health, addiction, and despair. It’s a heavy emotional crash after the high-energy rush of Through The Storm, showing that beneath all the visual polish, there’s genuine vulnerability driving the songwriting.

At seven tracks, Blood, Lies And Lullabies doesn't overstay its welcome. It’s a tight, confident, and incredibly well-produced debut from a young band that knows exactly who they are and where they want to fit in the modern alternative metal landscape. If you like your heavy music with big melodies, dark atmosphere, and zero apology, this is well worth taking for a spin. 8/10

A View From The Middle-Left Of The Industrial Warehouse: AFI (Dean Palmer)

AFI & TR/ST – Prospect Building, Bristol, 27.08.26

Over the last few years Bristol has had a complete upheaval in live music venues. 

The sad loss of Motion and Marble Factory left many of us concerned that this would give the O2 Academy (which remains the worst venue in the UK, one I will not buy tickets for no matter who is playing) a total monopoly on larger gigs. 

Electric remains a strong contender with an incredible sound system, but once a band has need for a capacity above 1000, the natural draw was, for a while, the Academy.

Thankfully The Prospect Building was wished into existence and has absolutely smashed it in terms of both being an incredible large venue for live music, and it only takes a quick peek at their “what’s on” page to realise which venue bands prefer.

Which brings us to a drizzly but warm Thursday when Hardcore/Punk/Horrorpunk/Emo/Post Hardcore/Anthemic Rock/Goth/New Wave (they’ve cycled through a lot of styles in their time) legends AFI finally rolled back into the UK as headliners for the first time in over 16 years, and the first time in Bristol for 20 (when they played the above mentioned Academy).

First up, support act TR/ST (7) take to the stage. Robert Alfons being the only official member of the band, he is joined by Robin Hatch who provides most of the keyboards and controls the drum samples (I am informed they usually tour with a drummer, which fits with a remark I made after their set which I felt they would definitely benefit from some live drums). 

TR/ST are coldwave electronica in its purest form and I could very easily imagine myself dancing to them at 4am in a warehouse in Berlin on any given night. 

Tonight they perform well, but the crowd are in the most part disinterested which is a shame (and does say a lot as to which material from the headliners will be best received right from the outset). 

Even so, if you get the chance to see them in a dark and dingy club – do so.

Which brings us to the headliners. 

The crowd are positively fizzing it to get dark, and as the lights drop we start the night with the earliest cut from the AFI (10) catalogue we will hear tonight (disappointment for those fans of the Hardcore punk era of the band, but they don’t go that far back these days) as they open with Strength Through Wounding, the intro track from 2000s Black Sails In The Sunset.

Once intro duties are disposed of, it is banger time, as the band launch into lead single from 2003’s Sing The Sorrow with Girls Not Grey, quickly segued into DECEMBERUNDERGROUND’s Love Like Winter. It is clear we’re getting the hits and then some tonight, and the crowd are very, very happy this is the case.

That’s not to say Davey and co are resting on times of yonder tonight, as they’ve got a recent album to promote in last years’ Behind The Clock and we get four cuts from it in Behind The Clock, Marguerite, Voidward, I Bend Back and Holy Visions throughout the evening. 

These songs are played utterly beautifully, with the band showing that for every post-hardcore banger they deliver, they can match it with some beautiful synth-tinged gothic rock, however it is noticeable that portions of the crowd present tonight are perhaps not as well versed with the newer material as the golden oldies.

This doesn’t stop the band in any sense though, and with a back catalogue as deep as AFI has there is plenty on the menu to appease almost every attendee. I Hope You Suffer from Burials is belted out with absolute fury, and follows a surprise addition of 37mm as a pretty deep cut from the DECEMBERUNDERGROUND days.

We get two songs from the ultra polished 2009 anthemic Crash Love – Beautiful Thieves and End Transmission mid-set. Both of which really do showcase how well Davey Havok has looked after his voice during his 50 years on the planet, as he hits every note perfectly and still finds the energy to be a charismatic frontman whirling his way around the stage. 

He is a man who has changed image more than underpants (maybe), but the man under that huge moustache and considerable barnet of hair is still as slick as he ever has been.

Having closed out the main set with The Days Of The Phoenix, the band are quickly back on stage for a two-song encore of Silver And Cold and a big singalong to Miss Murder before the lights go up, and everybody in the room hopes it isn’t another 20 years before AFI return to Bristol. 

Outstanding entertainment from true underground veterans of the game.

Review: Black Spikes, Rising Insane, Catch Your Breath, Riff Dealer (Matt Bladen)

Black Spikes - Ydos (Napalm Records)

Ydos is Lithuanian band Black Spike's first for Napalm Records and comes after their nomination at the M.A.M.A award which is similar to a Grammy. So there's an expectation of big things from this progressive metal act who are already booked to be playing Uprising festival next year.

Performed in their native language, Ydos is the story of the human condition, lived through ethereal soundscapes, haunting moments of unnerving bliss, punishing modern prog metal riffs, diverse vocals and a love electonic beats that saturate tracks such as Melas

To my ears, and eyes Black Spikes remind me of The Great Discord, taking an avant garde passage through their music but also adding a feeling of one of Eurovision's weirder offerings (Apatija). Ydos is a very dark, spellbinding and distinctive record.

Tracks such as Zelvar features angular riffs against lullaby-like spell casting as Revana gets to the heavy side with rapid fire rap vocals, that heavy side increasing for Aurea and Senas Demonas as this record is sequenced in a way that it builds into the heaviest moments at the end.

Ydos brings metal but maybe not how or where you would expect it to come from, at times baffling, at others brilliant Black Spikes could be the newest metal superstars. 8/10

Rising Insane - Deathrace (Long Branch Records)

German modern metal act Rising Insane have been making a name for themselves for nearly a decade now, their story reaching a peak when they signed to Long Branch Records in 2019, this led to a shift towards a style that kept their live show ferocity but brought more melody and dynamics.

A cover of Blinding Lights by The Weeknd opened then up to larger audience and with their previous record they further welcomed more kudos for their deeper and more experimental sound, never shedding their metalcore beginnings but adapting them into something more palatable for a larger audience as so many bands do these days.

They keep up this hybrid modern sound with new album Deathrace, with a record that will appeal to fans of Polaris and Caskets, whom they collaborated with on single, and final track Good Enough, but with this record they have made sure to make this Deathrace their most visceral and raw record yet, with every song, even the ones that have more of their clean side still feature crushing heavy riffs.

Their new record has Rising Insane living up to their name with breakneck shifts in tone, there's punk/nu-metal on Outrage, massive aggression on the Title Track, soaring clean choruses on Traumatized, while tracks such as Narcissist and Dirt skillfully bring both the clean and harsh sounds, the interlacing of electonics and beatdowns seeing Countdown absolutely wreck you.

While other bands seem to head towards the lighter side of the metalcore sphere, Rising Insane have chosen to get nastier on this new album, strap in an enjoy the ride. 7/10

Catch Your Breath - Not Broken Enough (Thriller Records)

I will say this at the beginning of the review that there were times when I thought I had the 'repeat track' button pressed while playing this record, mainly in the middle of the record where a lot of the songs have a big drum, a moody verse and shout out loud chorus.

Not Broken Enough is the latest set of emotional cuts from American band Catch Your Breath and while they write from the heart, their songs full of vulnerability and personal reflection shown here through their blend of soaring courses and punchy riffs drenched in electonic beats.

Right on the peak of modernity Catch Your Breath have been crafting their sound on stages across the world amassing a strong fanbase behind them. However the Austin, Texas band don't seem to devuate too far from the multiple bands doing this hybrid of emotional metalcore, alt metal and electronic synths like Bad Omens, Dayseeker and others where pop is the priority.

Not Broken Enough showcases Catch Your Breath boldly and whether you enjoy this record will depend on how much you like this modern style of metal anthems. 7/10

Riff Dealer - New Blood (Self Released)

When you're a band containing members from bands that have previously won Bloodstock Metal To The Masses, then calling your album New Blood just makes sense, as this is the stage that all M2TM winners play at Bloodstock Festival.

So Riff Dealer are experienced there's no doubt about that, so expectations are high for their debut album and they deliver on them if you're a lover for late 90's early 2000's heavy music. Riff Dealer take their influences from the NWOAHM sound with groove and nu-metal being the two major styles they play here.

A love of thick basslines, start stop riffs and barked vocals are needed to really get enjoyment out of this album. I can't say I was ever fully committed to that scene so while there's bits of this record that found myself banging my head to, like Weight Of The World, tracks like Deadends & Daydreams and Voices do nothing for me.

While this record is called New Blood, there's a lot of old ground being gone over here which never really feels massively original. 6/10

Reviews: The Barbarians Of California, God's Hate, RAD, Sunscorched (Spike & Matt Bladen)

The Barbarians Of California - Megatons (Villains For Good) [Spike]

Every now and then, an album lands on the desk that completely bypasses your critical brain and hits you straight in the chest. Megatons the second full-length from The Barbarians Of California, is a total riot from start to finish. Behind the wheel are Aaron Bruno (frontman of AWOLNATION) and producer Eric Stenman, but don't let the mainstream pedigree fool you. This isn't a glossy side project designed for radio playing; it’s a massive, aggressive slab of metallic hardcore that sounds like a band having the absolute time of their lives.

From the moment The Gnarlycore Class and Vanilla Latte kick down the door, the level of aggression on display is incredible. The riffs are thick, heavy, and played with a lethal amount of groove. But what really sets this record apart is the sheer, unadulterated sense of fun baked into every single bar. At its core, this is big, loud, ridiculously heavy music crafted by musicians who obviously know their way around a song, and it put a massive, unabashed smirk on my face from the first spin. In a genre that can sometimes take itself far too seriously, there’s zero shame in making heavy music that is this enjoyable.

Take a track like Bomb To A Knife Fight, it’s got one of the meanest breakdowns you’ll hear all year, paired with a completely absurd hook that you’ll be shouting around the house for weeks. Then you hit Really Really Rad, which starts as a thrashing, riff-heavy assault before pulling a wild 180 and turning into an electro-dance party at the end. It shouldn't work, but because they commit to the madness with total conviction, it rips.

By the time you get through the thrashy chaos of Earthquake and the Mario-esque shouting on This Is Shredical, you realise this is an album built entirely for the stage. It’s one of those rare records that instantly made me pull up my browser and start hunting down their touring schedule. You can practically smell the spilled beer and feel the floorboards flexing just listening to it. I want to see and experience these tracks in a packed, sweaty venue as soon as humanly possible.

They even know how to stick the landing. Dropping an acoustic breather like Shark Out Of Water right before the crushing finale of I Am The Submarine shows a band that understands pacing and drama as much as brute force. Megatons is a loud, furious, and joyously unhinged record that proves heavy music can be as fun as it is dangerous. An absolute blast. 9/10

God's Hate - Won't Be Disgraced (Closed Casket Activities) [Matt Bladen]

God's Hate play hardcore. Aggressive, antifascist, straight edge, metallic hardcore that deliberately antagonizes those who try to spread hate, marginalise and generally be horrible human beings.

Musically threatening with songs full of punishing breakdowns, shifting pace and punishing stomps. They're also physically stacked as Gods Hate were formed by professional wrestler, imposing man mountain and former AEW World Trios and World Tag Team Champion Brody King on vocals and Twitching Tongues frontman Colin Young on drums/vocals.

They live by the credo of Life Is Hard - Be Harder and this is music for the resilient, a call to arms to fight back against oppression of all kinds and when someone like Brody is barking at you, it's worth listening. Colin sets the blistering pace, locked in with bassist Alec Faber and guitarist Anthonie Gonzalez while brother Taylor (also of Twitching Tongues) gives lead guitar blasts.

Won't Be Disgraced follows two full length records and while only three tracks long, it begins with a Bolt Thrower-esque grind on the title track, before I Am The Cure crushes with blast beats as the dual vocals used for maximum rage as it builds into a cry of "straight edge" before a disgustingly slow breakdown and solo section ensues which moves to the punishing finale Warriors Will Reign.

God's Hate then are band who look and sound imposing but have their ideologies aligned in the right way, their music is about triumph over adversity and the only ones that should be scared is if you wear a red cap with snow infamous phrase on it. 8/10

RAD - Rad To The Bone (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Gnarly crossover skate thrash now from RAD who bring the spirit of the Californian skate culture to Southern England influenced heavily by Suicidal Tendencies as they play songs that are about the camaraderie of the skate scene along with classic cult films, the sort of thrash meets hardcore that often leads to two-stepping inside the bowl of a skatepark.

Andy Mansell (vocals), Ben Swanson (guitar) Ben Watson (guitar), Warren Bennet (bass) and Kieran Stanley (drums), play music for the escapists, a way to get away from the drudgery of modern life with homages to VHS classics such as Rambo (First Blood), Cyberdyne Systems (Terminator), If It Bleeds (Predator) and Point Break which is possibly the ultimate skate/surf action movie.

They use these cinematic influences to speak about broader issues such as governmental corruption and the influence of technology but it's all done with thrashy riffs, solo guitar fireworks, hearty chugs and shouted vocals primed for shouting back, as there's rarely a stop for breath, the six cuts here coming at you like karate kicking madman.

Rad To The Bone and decked out in dayglo shorts and massive white sneakers RAD come straight outta your local skatepark and get radical with this new record. 8/10

Sunscorched – Blood Of The Badlands (Bölverk Collective) [Spike]

One of the best things about Musipedia of Metal is stumbling across something you’d never normally find on your own, only to realize within a track or two that you need to buy a copy for your physical collection immediately. Blood Of The Badlands by Arizona trio Sunscorched is exactly that kind of discovery. Coming off a stack of modern hardcore and metalcore, this record is a complete change of pace and a damn impressive one at that.

Instead of the usual cold, snow-covered Norwegian forests or burning European cathedrals, Sunscorched takes black metal out into the sun-bleached desert. It trades classic goth-black tropes for a cinematic, dusty Western atmosphere where blood, revenge, and the sheer weight of the universe crushing down on an unforgiving landscape. If you're a fan of bands like Wayfarer, this sits in that same sun-baked territory, but it carves out its own bitter path.

For me, Stranger's Land is the absolute standout track of the record. It opens with the sound of crackling campfires and distant dogs calling across the dark, setting an outlaw-style acoustic undertone before the heavy riffs drop. The way it transitions with Whiskey And Oak, weaving sharp, abrasive black metal tremolo with that dusty narrative weight is fantastic. You can practically feel the grit in your teeth as the storm rolls in over the ridge.

What gives the record its real spine is how it handles historical grit without relying on theatrical gimmicks. Slaughter At Camp Grant tackles the brutal 1871 massacre of 140 Apache people, delivering a punishing, fast-thrashing assault driven by Austin Kruger’s raw, scraping vocals and Rory James’s battering drum work. It's bitter, dark, and uncomfortable, exactly as history should sound when set to heavy music.

They aren't afraid to bring unexpected textures into the noise, either. The Gallows Tree incorporates haunting slide guitar licks beneath a mid-tempo, crushing stomp, while Thousand Year Drought lets Mitch Wilson’s lead guitar spiral into chaotic, blistering solos. By the time the instrumental title track closes things out, surprising you with moody acoustic passages, weeping violins, and a subtle, jazzy swing, you're left with a record that feels like a complete journey.

Blending the bleak atmosphere of black metal with the unvarnished grit of the American Southwest shouldn't work this seamlessly, but Sunscorched pulls it off with total conviction. It’s a brilliant, unexpected find and a release I’m genuinely excited to add to my shelf. 9/10

Reviews: Iconic, Lalu, Ian Parry's Consortium Project, Zan/Cody (Matt Bladen)

Iconic - II (Frontiers Music Srl)

Another Frontiers supergroup combing the talents of some of the labels highest profile stars.

Iconic features Micheal Sweet (Styrper), Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake/TSO) on guitar, Marco Mendoza (ex-Dead Daises/Black Star Riders) on bass, drummer Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake) and vocalist Nathan James (Inglorious) so they're a pretty super supergroup by anyone's metric.

II is their second studio album and it's the sound of a band who are at ease with each other, their debut Second Skin was the coming together of musical muscle from across the years, II then is them working as one classic rocking body, producing music that all at once is inspired by their experience but is also totally their own.

On album number 2, Sweet and Hoekstra cement their guitar partnership, trading off on each other as Sweet shows a side to him you may overlook in Stryper keeping up with the hotshot almost a decade younger with the killer riffs (Take Me To The Place) and leads that are packed into these eleven tracks.

Beneath them are grooving bottom end of Mendoza and Aldridge who have huge also have gelled combining their experience to power tracks such as Open My Eyes, where Antonio Agate adds some Hammond organ to firmly define the era of rock we're looking at here.

Thankfully with all these late 70's, early 80's rock anthems coming from Iconic they have a powerhouse vocalist who can summon the likes of Robert Plant, Ian Gillan, David Coverdale and Chris Thompson (shown with his role in Jeff Wayne's War Of Worlds), bellowing in the low end and soaring up high on Tears Keep On Falling.

II defines the band Iconic want to be, a classic rock supergroup that pick up where Whitesnake left off in 2022. 8/10

Lalu - A Mythmaker's Demise (Frontiers Music Srl)

Vivien Lalu's progressive rock/metal project returns with a new album and a 20th anniversary as well.

Founded in 2005, the recent Frontiers records have opened up his melodic prog metal to a whole new audience with influence of Yes (Prince With The Swift Warning), Toto (Tears Of The Muse) as well as Rush (Cordial Weaves), Threshold, Porcupine Tree and any band who divide their time between classical, rock, folk, metal and even pop textures.

Lalu has been making 70's inspired prog rock fused with progressive metal grunt for 20 years and you get every day of this experience on A Mythmakers Demise, Lalu's vision to create albums without too much trickery: "no drum samples, next to no EQ, just real performances captured in their natural state”.

Lalu's keys, organs, Moogs, pianos playing a core part of these dense soundscapes, though on three of the tracks Jens Johansson of Stratovarius and Yngwie Malmsteen provides some solo genius as he is so very known to do in both those bands.

Vivien's longtime musical partner Joop Wolters also getting plenty of scope to play some killer guitar and bass parts, adding folky touches with A Drop Of Water, while taking solos and melodies and riffs for all of these tracks, his guitar playing stellar but his bass work also needing to be highlighted.

He's been a frequent collaborator with Lalu for a while now so their synergy is well honed, but A Mythmaker's Demise features some guests from the past such as Jens but also Martin LeMar returns on vocals having been the first vocalist of the project while behind the drum kit is Simon Phillips who also comes back to the project from the early days.

20 years of progressive rock finery, Vivien Lalu doesn't seem to be running out of ideas or musicians to collaborate with. Classic prog fans rejoice as A Mythmaker's Demise, album number five, is another quality addition to the legacy. 9/10

Ian Parry's Consortium Project VI: Legacy Of Empires (Frontiers Music Srl)

If there's an artist who embodies the idea of collaborative projects it's the grandfather of progressive metal concept projects himself Ian Parry, a contemporary of Arjen Lucassen he's been in the prog opera industry around the same time and with this new album, the sixth chapter of the Consortium Project, he's celebrating 45 years in the music industry.

It's the first Consortium release since 2011, and while Parry has been busying himself with his solo career and Rock Emporium project, so he's not been sleeping but a big chunk of his fanbase will have been clamouring for this record for a long time. Parry then returns to the Consortium world reuniting with the who's who of artists that have been part of the project for a long time.

He's got a core band that share the major bulk of the recording, three guitarists, who play, rhythm, acoustic and some lead on nearly every track, two of them also adding keys/synths to the majority of the songs, as Allan Sørensen plays all the drums except when Kamelot man Casey Grillo takes the kit for the final track.

It's in the bassists where there's the most guest slots as Kristofer Gildenlöw joins alongside three more guests and the two "main" bass players. There's some guests vocalists and organists all adding to the sweeping cinematic arrangements of Consortium, Ian Parry gathering musicians that do or have played with Vanden Plas, Kamelot and Pain Of Salvation to create a progressive metal band worth several supergroups.

With Ian Parry's distinct vocals leading every track, this return to the world of the Consortium Project continues a legacy that will keep fans very happy and will surely bring a whole new set of listeners into the Parry progsphere. 8/10

Zan/Cody - Beautiful 'N Damned (Frontiers Music Srl)

Formed by Shotgun Messiah's guitarist Harry Cody and original singer Zinny Zan, with that Swedish sleaze institution now put to bed, the duo have reconvened to form Zan/Cody, another collaboration act through Frontiers Music.

Beautiful 'N Damned is the debut album for this new project and it brings Harry and Zinny together for the first time since Shotgun Messiah's debut album in 1989. What's changed over that time? Well not much as Beautiful 'N Damned brings swaggering street metal riffs and solos, along with a sleazy, sneering vocal delivery, wrapped up in modern rock production.

It's gritty and melodic with references to Ratt, Warrant, Pretty Maids and Shotgun Messiah of course, but they also bring their experience factor to the tracks to rekindle the songwriting partnership they had all those years ago, merging those sleaze beginnings with musical genres that have happened since.

From the Def Leppard thump of I Am The Shit, Ride Or Die which reminds me of the The Cult, as Damn shifts like latter Thin Lizzy. While Suffer City could easily be on Winger's Pull record and She Walks With Violence is Depeche Mode moodiness, however most of you will be here for Let's Be Heroes, Bad Bad Man and Tear It All Down.

Keeping the Shotgun Messiah legacy alive under the name of the founding members, Zan/Cody are still rocking hard 37 years later. 7/10

Reviews: The Night Eternal, Holissstik, Cemetery Echo, Vordermann (Matt Bladen)

The Night Eternal - Cold Velvet (Metal Blade Records)

The third album from German metal band The Night Eternal takes them further towards the dark, while also adding more authenticity to their sound by defining it with the use of analogue instruments to make sure they encapsulate the late 70's early 80's influences that are so important to them as a band.

I've always been a fan of the band but seeing them in Manchester supporting Blind Guardian made me realise that they were a band that understood the beginnings of heavy metal and with this new record they owe as much to The Mission as they do Iron Maiden, as much to Type O Negative as they do Tygers Of Pan Tang.

It's still packed with melodic riffs, clean vocals for big choruses and melancholic atmospheres but with an added drive and focus that has come from teaming up with producer Michael Zech. He's guitarist of Secrets Of The Moon and has produced acts such as Sulphur Aeon, Triptykon and The Ruins Of Beverast.

Working like a 'fifth Beatle' scenario he has had input into the record bringing his background in extreme metal to make sure The Night Eternal are tighter and more intense than before. Not a moment is wasted as they charge through tracks such as Eurydice (Don't Look Back) and Caught In A Spell, both evidence of the duality on Cold Velvet.

With a longer recording period than before, helped by a gap in the middle, these songs have been able to develop and evolve from their initial sketches into some of the most impressive yet, the concepts from previous records Fatale, expanded on here.

Cold Velvet is the culmination of what The Night Eternal have been reaching for on previous records. Come hear their final form. 9/10

Holissstik - Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude (Season Of Mist)

There is a huge guest list on this record and I mean huge. Sixteen different musicians join band leader and multi instrumentalist Tor-Helge Skei to create these thrilling dark electronic soundscapes from the depths of Trondheim, Norway.

Coming from the Greek word Hólos Holissstik means while "whole" and that is what drives the collaborative nature of the record, explaining why there's so many extra musicians adding their parts to Skei's musical sketches.

Skei has history with extreme metal acts such as Manes, Høstsol, Atrox, Manii, Syning and Lethe with Anna Murphy of Cellar Darling, appearing here on the atmospheric Scandi prog of Obsession Six, she joins a cavalcade of names that supply vocals, guitars, bass, drums and synths.

Tor-Helge has been tormented by these songs, some for a long time, some more recently, creating the initial versions that are both patchy and fully formed, drawn from his history on the dark side of music, to make enthralling, claustrophobic and foreboding pieces which highlight the contribution of the guests as well as the composition skills of this bands creator.

Handling recording, production and mixing Tor-Helge turned over the mastering to Knut Prytz (ex-Necrophagia), finishing off these eight tracks that straddle darkwave, electronica, industrial, shifting from the progressive grooves of The Rhythm Of Silence, to the haunting Projections, Reoccurring Dreams embraces synthwave and Would You Take This Heart is a lucid dreamscape.

With referrals to Depeche Mode and Apex Twin, Holissstik begins this three part release with a unavoidable darkness and electronic muscle. 8/10

Cemetery Echo - Civitas Lacrimarum (Seeing Red Records)

Some New York "Haunt 'n' Roll" now from Buffalo band Cemetery Echoes who welcome us to Civitas Lacrimarum (City Of Tears - Latin nerds) with some blackend deathrock meets gothic post punk, through thrashy buzzsaw riffs, jangly melodic cleans, moody atmospherics and vocals that snarl and croon in equal measure.

Snakeland's Pull or Dungeon Of Love for instance has gothic overtones from that whole post punk sound while Hell Night or Cannibalistic Underground Nihilist Teens are a savage black metal assault, but much of the album ably blends the both sides for some introspective, blackend goth metal.

There's a lot of inspiration from the original bands that spearheaded the gothic rock sound while also leaning towards the modern bands doing it such Unto Others, Grave Pleasures and Tribulation, the latter very prominent as Cemetery Echo rise from the grave with an interesting hybrid of genres. 7/10

Vordermann - Feeding On Fireworks (Self Released)

Stoke Vordermann pay tribute, in their own weird way, to Wales' foremost maths genius and social justice campaigner Carol Vorderman.

Classing themselves as post-rock/rainbow doom, they follow up their debut EP Feeding On Flowers, with the more dangerously titled Feeding On Fireworks which is a three track manages to create a wall of noise which combines doom, sludge, shoegaze, grunge and stoner.

While there are few direct links to everyone's favourite mathematician there is a lot of esoteric, space noodling that reminds me of Cybernetic Witch Cult as they cross the genre streams as often as possible through their multi-dimensional music.

Ego Shake sees them in space rock weirdness while The Salem Shake manages to bring the heavy riffs of Mastodon as Something Sacred, Something Terrible closes this second EP with a progressive, anthemic post-gaze eruption that gives us the promised fireworks.

So plenty of vowels and consonants along with time signatures you'd need a calculator for, Vordermann bring more rainbow doom with this new EP. 7/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Lacertilia (Matt Bladen)

Lacertilia, Cybernetic Witch Cult & Goat Major, Fuel Rock Club, 21.08.26

With my trips to gigs being stunted somewhat by a knackered spine, the ones I'm picking and choosing bands that I know will absolutely deliver on a live stage. I'd try to catch South Wales' psychedelic stoner riff warriors a few times this year already but life and physical pain got in the way meaning I had to abandon them.

However a Friday at Fuel Rock Club with support coming from some fellow Welsh riffers I know always bring the groove and psychedelic space rockers that I had not seen before wasn't going to be a gig I missed so it was a slow walk from the car ready to get as groovy as a man with a slipped disc can be.

Getting the night started, fresh from a triumphant show at Bloodstock festival it was the sludgy doom riffs of Goat Major that made sure the PA was working at full volume as they roared to life with a set full of occult doom for for an Argento movie. Mainly drawn from their debut record, the trio stormed through the Sabbath worshipping songs, with a crushing rhythm section adding the meaty grooves while the guitar brought some technical melodies to join the thunder. Goat Major are the heaviest thing to come out of Pembrokeshire in a long while and the one new track they played bodes well for their upcoming album.

Next up were Cybernetic Witch Cult, psychedelic weirdos with plenty of brain melting melodies. I'd never seen the band before and I'm not too sure if many inside Fuel but the volume did decline briefly when they took to the stage as this cult are much more about classic transcendental journeys than sledgehammer riffs. With a revamped line up, playing a set of mostly unreleased music, their was something if a return for the band and the crowd were receptive though I'm sure the majority would have seen anything they played as new, due to them being a rarity on this side of the bridge.

However they did manage to win over the crowd with dual vocals and spacial journeys through galactic soundscapes. Pushing further into psychedelic realms this witch cult was perfect cleanse from the heavy crush of the openers and moved perfectly into the headliners, they even found time to record the set and release it as live record which is mind blowing in a venue like Fuel.

Then it was time for the headliners, like conquering heroes, they once again stormed the Fuel stage with an unmatched energy. The last time I'd seen them in Cardiff was at their album release show (I think) and as with every Lacertilia show they were unbelievably good (spoiler), but while hearing them play the entire third record in full was a brilliant event, I was very interested to hear how those songs blend with their older material.

There's a nervous energy to frontman Fry, always balancing on the edge between mastery and madness, he's the conductor of this church of riffs, letting loose when the riffs of The Wired And The Weird and Weird Scenes kick off the Lacertilia party. Belting out the lyrics and prowling the stage it's hard to take your eyes off him, the between song asides bringing humor and humility.

Behind him though Lacertilia are band with an ease to them, virtuoso masquerading as your local biker club band, Carl's drumming laser focused driving the groove, probably because he's the only one who knows the setlist! With Ed's fluid basslines joining him they're a formidable rhythm section that can weave their magic between tracks as different as the Jane's Addiction like Tangled Up and the showstopping The Sun Is The Key.

The riffs come from Mike and Lukas, the punk rocking of closer Fire Up The Engine Of God or the stoner chug of Deviate From The Plan are just as impressive as the more laid back moments such as Over And Out and Nothing's Sacred where the leads take a melodic turn into psych and prog realms.

I'll always support Lacertilia, every promoter in the UK should be on the phone to them as there's a magic they bring to the stage and after a decade as a band they're at the best they've ever been. A brilliant night in Cardiff with three excellent bands playing to a receptive and up for it crowd, worth the journey as usual. 10/10