Reviews: The Holeum, Goatsmoker, Imbrium, Astral Goat Dominion (Rick Eaglestone, Mark Young, Matt Bladen & Joe Gautieri)

The Holeum – Ensis (Lifeforce Records) [Rick Eaglestone]

The Holeum return with their third album Ensis via Lifeforce Records and if you haven’t been paying attention to what this band have been quietly building since their 2016 debut, now is absolutely the time to fix that. 

This is a record that resists any single genre tag – part Death Doom, part Post-Metal, part Progressive and part something that genuinely doesn’t have a name yet – and it is all the more essential for it.

Album opener The Fermi Paradox does exactly what the best openers do – it sets the terms and dares you to keep up. The conceptual framing is right there in the title: that vast, unresolved question of why, given the statistical near certainty of extra-terrestrial life, silence is all we’ve ever received back. 

Pablo Egido’s vocals carry that weight convincingly, ranging from low, cavernous growls to something that sounds less like singing and more like a transmission sent into the void with no expectation of reply. 

It’s patient, heavy, and completely uncompromising – a statement of intent that Cosmic Void Spheres then moves sharply on from, arriving with a density and emotional reach that makes the album’s full ambitions plain. 

The guitar interplay between Luis Albadalejo and Julián Velasco surfaces here with some of the album’s most overtly melodic passages, and when clean vocals appear alongside them, this is the moment Ensis first shows you that devastation and beauty are, in The Holeum’s vocabulary, simply the same thing from different angles.

Macrocosm + Microcosm is where this record starts to demonstrate what separates The Holeum from their contemporaries. The track moves from something intimate and fragile to something that feels continental in its weight, and Miguel A. Fernández’s drumming is the structural backbone holding it all together – this is a band thinking about architecture, not just impact. 

Spontaneous Synchronization follows and is perhaps the most rewarding track on the album on repeat listens. There is nothing accidental about how its elements cohere, even as they appear to be working against one another, and Paco Porcel’s bass sits at the centre of it providing gravity when everything else threatens to pull apart. The mood never fully resolves and that feels entirely deliberate – it is an unsettling listen in the best possible sense.

Hyperdimensional Physics leans hardest into the progressive side of The Holeum’s sound and is Ensis at its most compositionally ambitious – structural phases that would feel jarring from a lesser band feel completely earned here, each one growing logically out of what came before it. If you want to know what this band are genuinely capable of, go and put this one on loud. 

Esoteric Futuristic Visions then builds around Egido’s drone work to deliver something atmospherically distinct from anything else on the record – forward-facing and speculative, a sound that looks beyond the edge of the known rather than retreating into familiar territory. 

For a band, whose entire conceptual identity is rooted in the furthest reaches of the cosmos, this is where that vision feels most fully realised.

Ensis closes with Geometric Congruence Vortex, and it is a closer that earns every second of its runtime – the clean tones of its opening minutes give the listener room to process the journey the album has taken them on, and the gradual return of heavier elements feels less like repetition and more like the album quietly acknowledging everything it has been.

Overall Ensis is the record that the Holeum’s genre-defying blend of Doom, Post-Rock, Death, and Progressive metal is rendered with a cohesion and emotional devastation that their previous work was pointing towards but never quite reached. 7/10

Goatsmoker - E.R.I.S (VinylTroll Records) [Mark Young]

And to close out the week, how about some massive riffs? Here to satisfy that need is Copenhagen’s Goatsmoker who bring their latest sonic pummelling for your delight and delectation. 

I should qualify that statement that this is primarily for those who dine out on big, fat guitars, vocals that have been dragged out and jumped on and song lengths that test your power of endurance. If you are still onboard after that description then you will find 5 songs of doom perfection.

Cursed leads the 4 piece out to play and over 9 minutes gradually grind you to a pulp. This isn’t super polished, their own bio notes that imperfection is key for them, and I suppose that is the case when you hear discord that is brought down on later moments. It’s the sound of a band that writes music that excites them first and you second. 

I’d love to wax lyrical about it but there’s little point. This is doom for those affection for it is captured within the lengthy, repeating mantras that their songs offer. It’s something when they make the shortest song feel like it has been stretched out of form, which is what they do on Waiting. 

It has a background sound that is like air raid sirens wailing in the distance and its here that those imperfections come in. When it does change, its subtle, little increases in speed here and there without sounding out of place. What doesn’t change is the weight of these riffs, they are fuzzed out and in turn almost blissed out as they teeter on a knife edge without falling over. Gods Of Gunzilla is a prime example of this. Its drawn out, slow, measured to the point of collapse but is pulled back each time. 

Doom fans will be all over this, that is without a doubt because it takes all of the key maxims for what you expect this genre to offer and puts them on a plate for you. The trouble is that for those liking a faster or shorter style then this is likely to turn you off. Saying that, if you made it through Cursed then you know what you have let yourself in for.

Entropy Reigns In Silence is the penultimate song and is massive. Truly massive, possessed with more life than the preceding tracks, it’s a glacial tempo but one that continues moving forward at all times. I would suggest that the best way to experience this is with headphones, which enable you to immerse yourself within this song. It changes shape as it pushes forward to the end, reaching a crescendo that I didn’t think I’d hear with them. 

It is a quality song, one that others should look to when writing a ‘good’ doom song because it is a belter. Dakhma is almost an anti-climax after that but isn’t without its charms. Taking some of its cues from Entropy, its happy to wield its own form sonic destruction and close this 5-song cracker out. Look for the almost angelic vocals running through it as it wraps up.

I think in all honesty it’s has the capacity to held up as a statement release. Its doom in the style they want to play and its all the more honest for it. I couldn’t say that its essential for everyone, but then if we all like the same then it would be pretty boring. If you have a hankering for big guitars then check them out. 8/10

Imbrium - Singularity (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

If you like Evergrey then you'll like Imbrium. There I said it, this Leeds/London band take a lot of influence from the Swedish mastered with their dark melodic take on prog metal. 

Featuring former members of Dreamcatcher, Memoreve and The Defiled, their EP, Singularity brings together dark melodic metal and progressive composition, striking a balance been atmosphere and weight.

From beginning of Fade Away which moves between driving riffs and piano driven choruses, the chunky The Dark Is Home, through the guitar riff meets orchestrations of Reach Out and the stirring finale of Dark Singularity, the guitars all come with a down tuned heaviness but there's also and abundance of sympathetic keys and synths, with an emotional heft in the lyrics that lends itself to the introspective sound Imbrium create.

The band say that they create music "that’s designed to hit hard—sonically and emotionally" and Singularity does do that in the same way that Tom S Englund and co can. They'll make you headbang one song, then cry the next and Imbrium do something similar with their songs about pain and loss, sung with passionate vocals and played with technical precision that never lets virtuosity hinder the melodies.

An impressive EP from Imbrium, a must for any fans of Evergrey or bands that have an emotional side to their prog metal. 8/10

Astral Goat Dominion - Only Lucifer And Fuzz (Self Released) [Joe Guatieri]

Astral Goat Dominion are a two piece Doom Metal band from Italy consisting of guitarist and vocalist Sergio Khaosfuzz and bassist and programmer Marco Oniric. Today I’ll be covering their debut album Only Lucifer And Fuzz which was released on the 31st October, 2025.

Getting into the record after the introductory interlude, we have track two with Lucifer (Part I). The guitar and bass both act as an ocean covering the song, immediately reminding me of Come My Fanatics era, Electric Wizard but not as raw. I say that as the guitars are trying to envelop you but they can’t, sure the loud volume is there but all of the other elements at play suck the life out of the track.

The drum machine is far too studio ready sounding clean and shiny, it’s as if they used computer software and simply dragged and dropped the sample on top of everything else. Similarly with the organ sound which attempts to create a spooky atmosphere, is just completely out of place. It’s unfortunate as well that all of this happens alongside vocals that just drone on and on, it’s not hypnotic, it’s boring.

The album title track doesn’t get much better. It has a clear Kyuss influence but it’s far too fast for its own good. Then to confuse myself even more by 1:04, there is a full-blown Disco section where the bass starts playing bouncy octaves, it completely threw me out of the experience.

Getting deeper with track seven, Make The Sludge Doom Great Again, performs a sin. It’s trying to insight a Black Sabbath-esque sing-along, constantly trying to beg people to get out their lighters and wave along with the band and the venue stops the show for fear of a fire hazard. The vocal just falls flat on its face and there is nothing appealing about it, not even heaviness can save the day.

This is a debut album and man does it feel like it… At last count one or two good to interesting riffs but they still copy Electric Wizard and that’s the thing with this record, I would rather be listening to anything else. After the album finished on a streaming service that I refuse to mention, a Mephistopheles song came on and I was transported into a world that I wanted to be in, it was so night and day.

Overall, Astral Goat Dominion has sadly failed to impress me with Only Lucifer And Fuzz. The lack of a drummer and simple programming really hurts the record, resulting in something that sounds lifeless. Obviously the band are huge fans of Doom, Stoner and Sludge as a whole but they do things which we’ve all heard a thousand times before and they go nowhere. It’s like having a drunken conversation with a few friends and not acting on a thought as you know for a fact that it would be a bad idea, no matter how fun it seems. 2/10

Reviews: Via Doloris, NO/MÁS, Diatribes, Parallel Minds (Rick Eaglestone, Joe Guatieri, Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Via Doloris – Guerre Et Paix (Season Of Mist) [Rick Eaglestone]

A debut album that arrives fully formed is a rare thing, and Guerre Et Paix, the first full-length from Via Doloris, is exactly that. Released via Season of Mist, this is the project of French multi-instrumentalist Gildas Le Pape – one man, seven compositions, and a vision so coherent and so committed that it is difficult to believe you are not listening to a band ten years into their career. 

The fact that session drums are handled by Frost of Satyricon and 1349 says something about the circles this record is moving in – but what it says even more loudly is that the songwriting underneath had to be strong enough to warrant that collaboration, and it absolutely is.

Shifting between French, English, and Norwegian across its seven compositions, Guerre Et Paix treats language itself as an instrument – each tongue carrying its own emotional gravity, its own weight, its own texture against the music. 

The artwork by Linnea Syversen lends the whole package a sacral, almost ritualistic quality that is entirely in keeping with what Le Pape has created sonically. This is an album that demands your full attention.

Opener Communion sets the tone with an atmospheric deliberateness that has genuine weight to it – this is not a record that rushes anywhere, and from the first moments Le Pape makes that clear. 

Frost’s drumming grounds everything in physical momentum without ever overwhelming the melodic intent, and as an opening statement it works precisely because it feels like an act of arrival rather than a warm-up. Un Franc Soleil, written in French, is the album at its most quietly devastating – a track built around absence as much as sound, and the most emotionally exposed moment on the record. If you’re not paying close attention, it might pass you by, and that would be a serious mistake.

Omnipresents is where the folk and pagan elements that run through this record become most audible – there is a timeless, almost ancestral quality to the arrangement here, and the contrast between its more aggressive passages and the moments of reflective calm is sharper than anywhere else on the album. It is a demonstration of real compositional maturity. 

For The Glory sits at the heart of Guerre Et Paix and is, for me, the album’s crowning moment – the track that most fully encapsulates what Via Doloris is and what this record is trying to do. It is the kind of track that keeps pulling you back, and the more time you spend with it the more you find in it. Hands down.

Ultime Tourment is the album’s centrepiece in terms of sheer ambition – ten minutes that justify every second of their runtime and then some. It builds with a patience that most bands simply don’t have the nerve for, and by the time it reaches its peak it has earned that intensity completely. Go and put this on loud and give it the room it needs. 

Visdommens Vei, I brings the Norwegian language into the record with full force, and the mid-track shift into something more luminous and folk-tinged is the kind of moment that makes you stop whatever you’re doing and just listen – it is a genuinely brave compositional choice, and it lands every time.

Visdommens Vei II closes the album at just over two minutes, and that brevity is exactly right – it doesn’t tie anything off neatly, it simply lets the weight of everything that has come before it settles. Guerre Et Paix has earned that ending.

Via Doloris have felt like black metal’s most carefully kept secret for long enough – with Guerre Et Paix that is emphatically no longer the case. Gildas Le Pape has delivered one of the most fully realised debut albums in the genre in recent memory, a record that is meticulous in its craft, uncompromising in its vision, and deeply, genuinely moving in its emotional honesty. 

The collaboration with Frost is not a gimmick or a draw – it is a demonstration of just how strong the songwriting here is, because without that foundation no session drummer in the world, however legendary, could have made this record what it is. This is black metal that has something real to say, and it says it with extraordinary grace.

“The album is about confronting the fractures within yourself – the war between what you are and what you want to become.” – Gildas Le Pape. 8/10

NO/MÁS - No Peace (Redefining Darkness Records) [Joe Guatieri]

NO/MÁS is a Grindcore band from Washington, D.C. They are a name known by quite a few weirdos out there like myself who follow extreme music and have a hatred of their sense of hearing. They’ve been around for a good while now, forming in 2017 and putting out several releases. 

Surprisingly enough with their album that I’m covering here No Peace, it’s only the second “full-length” that they have released with their previous effort coming out in 2022. Again it’s a band that I’ve been aware of but never listened to as I go to more Grindcore gigs then what I do listen to, I was excited to get into it!

The album is typically short at 22 minutes, providing a hammer on your head until you see stars in your peripheral vision. NO/MÁS travel across the world and take influence from some things that you might not expect. For one, there's a lot of Thrash Metal worship throughout the album, it’s like the band are screaming I love you Slayer! 

Take track six, Leech and you’ve got an odd-pairing of two sections that miraculously connect. You’ve got an obvious wink and nod to Raining Blood as they take a fun spin on that famous riff and then juxtapose it with a solo which is straight out of the F-Zero playbook.

No Peace sits much more within Metal than what it does with Hardcore as it’s more about pure destruction than it is speed. The blast beats are especially killer right the way through with such a clean and impactful drum sound, it doesn’t give you any time to breathe and proves what an incredible drummer Henry Everitt is. 

The bass also gets a lot of time to shine, at its best it sounds like you’re getting a beating by a steel pipe, the instrument reverberates throughout the room and is always present.

I want to point out track nine, Choke Point, it’s a whole fake out, at first it makes me think oh this is too familiar until it reaches its arms out and brings in great head banging grooves. It goes from a more Groove Metal passage and then in front of your very eyes, the song deconstructs itself and takes elements away, leaving Industrial Metal grit by the end, such a fabulous idea.

Overall, with No Peace, NO/MÁS wears their influences proudly on their sleeve and has a great grasp over subverting your expectations, making for plenty of fun moments. It might be aggressive and off-the-wall but at least for a Grindcore record it feels oddly welcoming, taking you by the hand and saying look we don’t want you to throw up all of the time, only some of it. 

The album is a laugh with some fantastic locked-in performances, it’s a night out that you remember fondly but still forget about at least half of what happened. 7/10

Diatribes - Degenerate (Brutal Records) [Mark Young]

A new player has entered the arena!! Diatribes, arriving from the fertile Brazilian underground with their debut release Degenerate. It basically nails its colour to the mast from the off, once you get past the introduction that Death’s Echo Chants sets in motion. 

The Witch, is effectively what extreme metal sounds like where you ignore current trends or themes and stay as close as possible to what you got into this in the first place. It also sets the tone for what is to follow and makes no apologies about that. Its all drums that mash and riffs that explode outwardly. 

In the respect of being hard, heavy, extreme all of the standard descriptions that can be applied are satisfied here and even more so on Hostility Within that takes a core arrangement and then hammers you with it. They know to keep these songs on the shorter side too, conscious of repeating the same message too many times. There's a definite Slayer/Exodus flavour on display too, which isn’t a bad thing really.

There is obviously a ying to this yang and that is the fact that despite these tracks doing what they are supposed to do, they flash by without embedding. If you asked me right now for a song that stood out for me, I’d go with Masquerade, only for that Mandatory Suicide homage as its starts. 

The songs are energetic and built for being played live, of this I’m absolutely certain because I don’t think that Diatribes have the word ‘slow’ in their vocab. Because of this need for constant aggression to be manifested in song, you need them to have variation In how they play out. Just using speed for speeds sake only goes so far.

Still, this is a minor thing really when you consider that they have come here to be aggressive, to bring tightly focused extreme metal back into play. For those who would like to believe that Grunge, Nu-Metal or any other movement didn’t happen then this is for them. 

Its as Old School as you could possibly get without directly copying those influences. I think we should applaud them because it is a strong debut that points to good things coming. 7/10

Parallel Minds - Cairn (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]

Let's go once again in to the epic progressive metal sound of French band Parallel Minds shall we?

Cairn is their fourth studio full length and again brings together thrash, death, power and prog metal which has seen them compared to Blind Guardian, Evergrey and Symphony X and while the latter is very much where Parallel Minds ply their trade, the two former appear throughout with Orishas and Bhopal taking Blind Guardian into some African music sounds as Togo musicians Arka’n Asrafokor and Silveira Lakoélé Atalawoè add their skillset.

It's an album of cinematic orchestrations, neo-classical guitar solos, blistering double kicks and vocals that can hit top end high notes, gutsy passionate mids and gravel throated growls. The influence of Devin Townsend too comes in just how eclectic it is musically, this variation of this album comes from the heart of this album being the symbol of the cairn, stone piles left by travellers along their path.

Cairn is a 61 minute concept album, so it's not a quick listen, but if you give it time you'll be rewarded but some brilliant performances, great songwriting and a full cast of guest artist that drive the concept this album tries to convey. There's Native American chants that frame Trail Of Tears before it blows up into Iron Maiden style twin harmonies.

More guests from the French scene join the album as Asylum Pyre, Muhurta, and Stone Horns, to really increase the grandeur of this fourth record as we travel across the world though the medium of intense modern prog metal. Grab your passport and make sure your seats are in the full and upright positions as this is journey through the existence of man and the experiences they leave behind.

A superb record but one that you need to make time for Cairn is a pillar of the prog metal scene. 8/10

Reviews: Angus McSix, Temple Of Void, The Gems, Night Thieves (Matt Bladen)

Angus McSix - Angus McSix And The All-Seeing Astral Eye (Napalm Records)

The most recent quest for Prince Angus McSix (Thomas Winkler) began after the Hammer Of Glory was destroyed and he took The Sword Of Power and embarked on a battle against Archdemon Seebulon (Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann of Orden Organ), however he was imprisoned in an ice with no memory of who he was before.

So the next chapter of the story now begins with Angus' brother, Adam McSix (Sam Nyman of Manimal) taking the lead character role, Angus still appears on the opening track, 6666, however from here this is the journey of Adam to save his brother alongside new party member The Dwarf (Jasmin Pabst) who joins on guitar alongside Amazon Thalestris (Thalia Belazecca of Primal Fear), Ork Zero (Gerit Lamm) on drums.

Seeb also plays guitars and produces the record to make sure this conceptual fantasy is as over the top as it can be. Telling a whole new story, the music doesn't change too much, packing in a lot of grandiose power metal with some thumping electronics (Starlight Stronghold) plenty of tasty guitar/keys playing and massive choruses sung brilliantly by Nyman who slots into the frontman role perfectly with his power and range.

To make this second chapter even more epic they even add a few guests to the record as Rhapsody Of Fire join for Adam McSix, Turmion Kätilöt bring industrial thunder to Techno Men crossing Manowar with Kraftwerk, Dig Down has some AOR choruses aided by acapella act Van Canto while there's a party atmosphere on The Power Of Metal where Freedom Call join the fun.

And that's the kicker of this whole thing, Angus McSix And The All-Seeing Astral Eye is just fun, tongue-in-cheek humour, epic compositions and technically gifted performances, the adventure continues and you should join asap. 8/10

Temple Of Void - The Crawl (Relapse Records)

Five albums in and Detroit band Temple Of Void feel like experimenting, not in a way that totally runs away from their uncompromising death-doom assault but by adding elements to make it more experimental and musically mature. It's something they've been doing throughout their existence slowly adding softness to their hardened extremity with synths and melodic passages that are most prominent on album five.

The Crawl is a way for these veterans of the Michigan scene to explore some of their non metal influences as they throw in a lot of grunge and post-punk dull their sledgehammer into a more precise tool. Temple Of Void are guitarist Alex Awn, drummer Jason Pearce, vocalist/guitarist Mike Erdody, and bassist Justin Malek and they tracked The Crawl was tracked in a single week in January, at Kurt Ballou’s GodCity Studio (High On Fire) in Salem, MA. Ballou and engineer Zach Weeks (Deafheaven).

They give the record a spontaneity and rawness, feeling like you're right their with them as they're playing as Brad Boatright's master locks in this rougher hue but allows the non metal moments to breathe too. With lyrics continuing on the theme of fear and psychology from their last album, Temple Of Void can soundtrack epic D&D campaigns with The Crawl, packed with thrills and spills, it's death-doom brutality they have mastered with invitations from their other musical infatuations. 8/10

The Gems - Year Of The Snake (Napalm Records)

Classic rock trio The Gems take a further step into modernity on their second album Year Of The Snake, moving outside of the AC/DC-like riffs of their debut with second full length Year Of The Snake. Blasting out of your speakers with the title track, it's another mammoth record of 14 songs and while there are some rare jewels here, but like it's predecessor there's still too much of it.

Granted the 14 tracks don't ease off the accelerator as Mona Lindgren's guitar/bass riffs peel off against the drumming of Emlee Johansson creating some loud, boisterous noise for singer Guernica Mancini's huge vocals to croon over, she's joined by Tommy Johansson of Majestica for an 80's sounding track, while there's still a lot of blues, a bit of glam stomping and a ballad or two that are all written for hard rock radio and live stages.

Year Of The Snake is solid second record from The Gems, shaking up their songwriting with a bit more variety and a swagger towards the mainstream, across these 14 songs. 7/10

Night Thieves - Metaxis (Self Released)

London band Night Thieves have been quite rapidly rising through the ranks of the UK scene and this has all been leading to the release of their hotly anticipated debut album Metaxis. It, like their 2024 EP is produced by Romesh Dodangoda, who gives it the huge modern sound he is so renowned for.

So what is Metaxis like? Well I'm glad you asked as Night Thieves managed to capture the current musical Zeitgeist with this debut record, crafting a full length that has musical inspiration from bands such as Bring Me The Horizon, Architects and Spirtbox.

There's some 90's alt rock tones on Running (Out Of Time), the atmospheric suite of In Between Pt 1/Pt2, the chorus driven crunch of Mycelia or the introspective balladry of See You On The Other Side which features Jessie Powell of Dream State.

Night Thieves combine heavy djenty grooves from Rick Hunter-Burns (bass) and percussive power from Ryan Delgyn (drums) with pulsating synths and cavernous riffs from Paul Andrew (guitar) and some sneering, gritty vocals for Jess Moyle, a potent cocktail that have been mixed properly to create this debut.

The result is a hooky, style of modern musical alchemy, Night Thieves are a stage honed, confident four-piece with strong creative senses, all of which is on display on Metaxis. 8/10

Reviews: Gaerea, Hanging Garden, Vreid, Monosphere (Spike & Matt Bladen)

Gaerea – Loss (Season of Mist) [Spike]

I’ve spent the better part of my time listening to this trying to figure out exactly what happened to the Gaerea I thought I knew. For years, this masked Portuguese collective was the gold standard for that specific brand of "anonymous" cathartic black metal, all soaring dissonance and high-velocity grief. 

But with Loss, it feels like the masks haven't just changed; the entire anatomy beneath them has morphed into something else entirely. It’s a record that seems to be in a constant, violent argument with its own heritage, trading the obsidian grit of the past for a sheen that feels uncomfortably close to modern metalcore.

The record opens with Luminary, and the shift is immediate. The production is massive, clinical, even, stripping away the atmospheric fog that used to make their music feel so immersive. It’s a technical, high-energy start, but there’s a melodic sensibility here that feels "off." 

By the time you hit Submerged and Hellbound, you realize the "black metal" tag is being held on by a very thin thread. The riffs have a rhythmic, bouncy quality to them that wouldn't feel out of place on a Parkway Drive record, which is a jarring pill to swallow if you were expecting a descent into the abyss.

One of the more frustrating aspects of the record is the sense that the band is trying to be three different things at once. Uncontrolled and Phoenix feature these soaring, almost anthem-like choruses that feel at odds with the "anonymous" persona. 

It’s "odd" is the only way to describe it, a band that used to thrive on mystery now seems desperate to be understood, leaning into a polished, theatrical sound that robs the aggression of its teeth.

The middle stretch, featuring Cyclone and the vowel-less LBRNTH, is where the "experience" really starts to feel disjointed. There is a lot of technical skill on display here, certainly, the drumming is a heart-attack pulse of precision but the songwriting feels fragmented. 

It’s a collection of modern metal tropes dressed up in black metal's clothing. For a band that used to excel at long-form storytelling, these tracks feel more like they’re chasing a specific "modern" vibe rather than building an atmosphere.

The finale, Nomad and Stardust, tries to bring back the epic scale, but by this point, the identity crisis has done its work. Stardust is a sprawling, melodic closer that leans heavily into the cinematic, yet it lacks the raw, bruised-rib honesty of their earlier work. It’s a beautiful sound, technically speaking, but it feels like it belongs to a completely different band, one that prefers the spotlight to the shadows.

Loss is going to be a divisive one. It’s a record of high production values and undeniable talent, but it’s also a record that feels like it’s lost its way. Gaerea have chosen to morph into a different beast, but in doing so, they’ve traded their unique, haunting voice for a sound that’s far more common. 

It’s an interesting experiment in genre-blending, certainly, but for those of us who liked the mystery, it feels like a step toward a much more predictable light. 7/10

Hanging Garden – Isle Of Bliss (Agonia Records) [Spike]

Nine albums in, most bands are content to paint the same atmospheric walls a slightly different shade of grey. Finland’s Hanging Garden, however, have used Isle Of Bliss to perform a bit of a structural demolition. 

Known for a brand of "dreamlike" melancholy that leaned heavily into synth-laden layers, this new full-length represents a sharper, more sinister pivot. It is a record of bare-bones compositions and a ferocious, "rawer" intent that proves the band is far more interested in the "death" part of their melodic death/doom heritage than they’ve been in years.

The shift is evident from the six-minute opener, To Outlive The Nine Ravens. While the sombre DNA is still there, the drum work has a physical, snapping presence that grounds the atmosphere. By the time you hit Eternal Trees Of Turquoise and the title track, Isle Of Bliss, the "shimmer" has been replaced by a much heavier approach.

The true highlight of this evolution is the vocal dynamic. While Riikka’s aetheric cleans remain a staple, Isle Of Bliss sees her weaponize her capability to scream. 

These death metal duets with Toni create a visceral friction on tracks like To The Gates Of Hel and The Death Upon Our Shoulders. It’s a stark, violent contrast that adds a layer of genuine peril to the compositions, making the transition between the "introspection of the core self" and the "ferocious side" feel entirely earned.

As the record moves through the rhythmic gloom of The Blights Nine and Arise, Black Sun, the landscapes shift from dense forests to the "eternal voids" of dying stars. The guitars of Her Waning Light are jagged and urgent, leading into the final, six-minute descent of Beneath The Fallen Sky.

Instead of a comfortable resolution, the record ends on a note of sustained, heavy-set tension. Hanging Garden haven't just made a darker album; they’ve found a way to make their melancholy sound dangerous again. It’s an honest, unvarnished look at the spaces between life and death, delivered with a level of professional craft that justifies their place at the top of the Finnish underground. 

It’s a heavy, dark-edged reminder that sometimes the most powerful noise is the one that invites the darkness in rather than trying to keep it at bay. 8/10

Vreid - The Skies Turn Black (Indie Recordings) [Matt Bladen]

After a five year gap Norwegian band Vreid return after a period of reflection where they questioned their direction and their future, after 30 years could they still carry on as they were? 

These doubts are bound to creep up now and again but Vreid have managed to overcome them and shape them into an album that is built on resilience and a renewed focus on who they are and what they want to play.

So with The Skies Turn Black Vreid still play black metal but with additional moments that make them a different beast all together. A track such as Kraken for example showcases their affinity for the dramatic and cinematic. A soundtrack for a film of the same name it's an ambient synth song with a slow propulsion that reflects the massive squid it's named for.

This embracing of slower movements is key to discovering new soundscapes for the band they embrace doom, hard rock and even prog on Loving The Dead where Agnete Kjølsrud from Djerv adds eternal and unworldly voices to a cut that could feature on Stranger Things as Echoes Of Life has Vreid going a bit Ghost.

Inspiration for the album came from all over but especially Ozzy Osbourne, heard in their arena ready choruses and theirs also some reliving of their early thrash moments on tracks such as Smile Of Hate, while the finale, The Earth Rumbles is a grooving, organ fuelled closer as Flammen reminds everyone that Vreid are a black metal band at their core.

A record that pulled Vreid back into being and sees them at their most creative, The Skies Turn Black is a welcome return. 8/10

Monosphere - Amnesia (Self-Released) [Matt Bladen]

It takes a certain kind of band to open for the mighty Between The Buried And Me however German band Monosphere have been doing just that recently.

So I'm sure you can guess their musical habits before even listening to a note, especially when you consider they have also supported Karnivool and The Ocean, they are prime fodder for the Euroblast/ArcTanGent/Radar Festival audience.

With complex arrangements, where intricate jazz (Allusion) and crushing metalcore, mix with ambient post-rock and blistering black metal (Nadir), to drag you into a realm of avant-garde but focussed intensity, where what popular is often visited but rarely full embraced. 

The band have been taking their own path since the pandemic put them on the path to create a debut album that was ripe with experimentation, their live activity resuming on the path to a sophomore album that brought more sophistication.

Each touring run gained them a bigger audience, with international shows and festival appearances, but with Amnesia they are taking all of the lessons they've learnt over the last few years and have crafted a record that is undeniably theirs, rejecting major labels in favour of self releasing a third album that they can have full control over.

This lack of inhibition and outside interference means that the piano powered dissonance on Idiomorph, builds into the technical brilliance of Zenith, both feel so different but flow naturally into one another. 

Lovers of BTBAM, The Ocean, Devin Townsend will find that Monosphere's Amnesia is an album they will want to remember. 9/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Miss May I & Crystal Lake (Jack Norris)

Miss May I, Crystal Lake, Great American Ghost & Diesect, Club Academy, Manchester, 20.03.26



Heading down the steps into the dungeon that is Manchester’s Club Academy, you could feel it straight away. That buzz before a big night. I’ve been seeing Miss May I live since 2014 when they supported Halestorm at the Apollo, so being here now, camera in hand reviewing them, feels a bit surreal. Safe to say, I’m right in my element and more than ready for it.

Kicking things off were Australia’s Diesect, and fair play to them, They were already dealing with a rough situation. With their drummer out due to illness, stepping in at the last minute is Davier Perez from Great American Ghost, who had about an hour to learn the set. Honestly, you wouldn’t have known. He absolutely smashed it. Tight, heavy, no mistakes—just pure quality. The set might’ve been shorter, but it still hit hard and did exactly what it needed to do. Get the room warmed up for what was coming.

Next up, Great American Ghost took things up a level. Heavier, louder, and way more chaotic. The crowd started moving properly here—pits opening up, bodies flying about. Ethan Harrison was constantly at the barrier, getting right in people’s faces, pushing for more energy, more movement. It made the whole thing feel really close and intense. By the last track, he was telling the crowd to spin the room, and when that breakdown drops with him stood in the middle of the pit, it’s absolute carnage. Huge props to Davier Perez for playing back to back sets

Then Crystal Lake came in and just blew the place wide open. From the first second, it was chaos. The energy was ridiculous—non-stop movement, first crowd surfers of the night, and it only builds from there. Open Water turns into a sea of bodies as they call for as many surfers as possible, and the crowd delivers. Watch Me Burn is another standout. People screaming every word back, pits going off, just pure madness. There was even a moment where the lights drop out and it’s just camera flashes lighting the room. It looked insane and feels even better at the moment. Easily one of those sets you won’t forget.

Finally, Miss May I themselves hit the stage, and they didn't miss. Straight into it. Huge energy, massive sound, and the crowd was with them the whole way. Levi Benton was on top form, even grabbing a hat from someone in the crowd, sticking it on, and giving them a fist bump—little things like that just add to the whole vibe of the night. The setlist is stacked too, with tracks like Relentless Chaos and Hey Mister going off big time.

Everything about their set just clicks. Vocals were spot on across the board, the lighting looked incredible, and the pits never stopped. It was just constant energy from start to finish. Having seen them so many times over the years, I can honestly say this is the best I’ve seen them. Which says a lot.

Loud, chaotic, and exactly what you want from a metal show. Every band brought it, and Miss May I proved they’re still at the top of their game.

The gig of the year so far!! 10/10

Metal To The Masses South Wales Heat Rundown (By Matt Bladen)

So the Metal To The Masses South Wales heats are all done and dusted. You read all the interviews with this year's bands but we thought it was worth rounding up what happened before the Quarters kick off properly.

Things began super early this year with a slight change of venue from previous years as the East Side of the things were based at Green Rooms, a grassroots venue and practice room that is helping the new generation of talent to hone their skills.

For the first heat unfortunately veterans Catalysts had to pull out so that left us with the disgustingly youthful noise Syndicate, the modern metal slickness of Virtue In Vain and the classic rock sounds of Daytura. It was a hard fought Heat even though their was only the three bands playing.

The crowd were electric throughout getting involved with every set despite how eclectic the bands were. It was the arena ready heaviness of Virtue In Vain who took home the fan vote on the night while the judge vote went to the powerful vocals and hard rock swagger of Daytura.

Neither of these things should detract from how talented Syndicate are and with a bit of refinement they will be a force to be reckoned come 2027 for sure.

With one down it was over to the West Side for a post Valentine's Day love in.

Again held at the brilliant Bunkhouse Swansea, a community hub that is the heart and soul of Swansea's music scene. A venue defined by resilience their first heat saw some violence from Clarity As Arson, some traditional metal from Antique Curse, grooves from Thawn and modern melodic metal from House Of Hosts

Taking the judge vote was the outright aggression of Clarity As Arson who came back after a short hiatus to remind everyone what they do so well while it was House Of Hosts that stole the fans heart, with a massive backing in the local scene they stormed their way into the Quarters.

Both Antique Curse and Thawn offered something different, and while they came up short they are both acts with a lot of youth on their side and will only refine and define themselves from here.

The following weekend we had two Heats back to back. Over at Green Rooms there was another eclectic line up of Deathcore heaviness from Excursia, some vampiric rockong from Blood Red Lips, alt rock from Remain The Few and a bit more classic/thrash metal from Winter.

This time Blood Red Lips brought their nocturnal hordes to The Green Rooms and exsanguinated the fan vote from the room drop by drop, while it was Excursia who rumbled the skulls of the judges, taking their juggernaut into the Quarters.

As with every M2TM heat the quality is hard to beat and Winter brought youth and were entertaining to all the old school lovers in the room while Remain The Few definitely have a strong following with their proggy/punky/emo sound. Go check out both for yourself!

Back to the West and this one looked strong with electronic metalcore band Inscape coming back to life in Swansea, while Scratch One Grub brought some 2000's era heaviness. The always odd Grindhorse83 filled Swansea with psycho surf metal while Mould crawled their way out of the tarpits with sludge.

In the results side Inscape and Scratch One Grub unfortunately had to take the loss but that doesn't detract from their skills and live presence, both are very active, especially Inscape who have a unique sound in sometimes overwhelming genre pool. So catch them at any of their numerous gigs coming up to see what the fuss is about.

However I'm terms of results the crabs clacked their claws for the the absolute weirdness of Grindhorse83 who stole the fan vote like it's a golden Maguffin in a Tarantino movie while the judges absolutely loved having their ears abused by Mold who brought bowel shifting NOLA sludge to Swansea.

The train didn't stop and it was back at the WEST station for another three band bill as Blindburn had to withdraw just before the heat. With melodic hard rock grooves from Soul Fracture, electronic cinematics from Manumit and psych/doom from Pvriah.

The three band heats are always a little sadder as only one band is left behind and on this occasion it was Pvriah, who's psych/doom didn't quite hit the sweet spot but saw them gain a a new set of minds to melt.

Soul Fracture took the fan vote after getting Bunkhouse's hips shaking and heads nodding into the next round while the judges were drawn into the neon powered beatdowns of Manumit who will I assume do some kind of digital transporting into their Quarter.

Another week another weekend of M2TM goodness as it was the first Friday Heat at Green Rooms. This was strong one with returning finalists Exaust coming back to unleash the thrash in the pits, returning to M2TM too were the doom laden sounds of Risperidrone ready hurt your neck.

They were joined by two new bands as Paroxism brought and extreme metal assault while there was modern, emotive metal from Convoy, but unfortunately it was these two bands that didn't quite get to the next round, as again there are tweaks needed, so get out there and support them at gigs so they can come back bigger and better next year.

So then it was the other two bands that won the day, Risperidrone have gotten heavier and nastier since they last appeared here, clearly making a mark on the Green Rooms crowd as they took the fan vote while Exaust proved why they made it all the way to Day Of Wreckoning last year, having shifted their thrash sound a little but still rip your throat out.

A days breathing space and The Bunkhouse saw disgusting death from Virology, evil doom riffs from Hateful Dread, extreme aggression from Judasnail and a lot of youthful rocking from White Leather.

Another eclectic one and while it was Virology, who have some M2TM pedigree, but perhaps a two piece death metal comprised of vocals and bass was a step too far, and Judasnail who will continue to evolve and mature with their extreme metal, missed out on the next round.

This left the fan vote to fall to the satanic, fuzz laden viciousness of Hateful Dread, breaking a few eardrums and causing a few trips along the way. The judges on the otherhand though that the rocking of a band like White Leather was way beyond their years so have the nod to them

Finally then it was back once again to Green Rooms (not the renegade master) for last of this year's heat and there was a third withdrawal as Levels Of Violence pulled out with only a day or two spare. This left Treforest with the alt metal stylings of Avicide, the heavy low end doom of Damek and the newly metallic hardcore brutality of Disrupt The Continuum.

It's always a much tighter affair when there's only three bands and while Damek's Satanic Doom got the teeth rattling it was the youthful grooves and powerhouse voice of Avicide that got the fan vote as the judges decided that the newly retooled and voracious Disrupt The Continuum would be our last Quarter finalist.

There's so much talent on offer this year the next few rounds are going to be fun as everything culminates with Day Of Wreckoning, the M2TM South Wales Final that sees six bands play for a place at Bloodstock Festival in front of a huge audience. The event also brings a lot of guest acts along including a headline set by The Wildhearts.

Ticket for that are available here:

https://ticket247.co.uk/Event/517805

A View From The Back Of The Room: Froglord (Gregg Stockdale)

Froglord, Adfeilion & Grindhorse83, The Bunkhouse, Swansea, 14.03.26

The irony of the fact that Froglord’s first swamp ritual in Swansea takes place on one of the driest days in months wasn't lost on me. I had actually played a show with them back in 2023 (before they won Metal2TheMasses) and I was a fan ever since. Seeing them in my local venue was an opportunity too good to pass up, so I headed off on my lonesome to witness the spectacle.

I didn't arrive ridiculously early, but when I got to The Bunkhouse, there were only another three people there. It was with a sinking feeling that I began to pray to the Mystic Toad that Froglord’s first trip to Swansea wouldn't be a bust. Thankfully, as the clock ticked towards 8pm the venue started to fill up.

First up were Grindhorse83. An odd mix of Garage Punk, B-Movie soundtracks and Surf Rock. If you're a fan of The Cramps, The Mummies or Man Or Astroman, then you'll be right at home leaping like a loon to these guys. This was, in fact, only the second time I had seen them live, due to their uncanny knack of playing shows on the same night as me. As the saying goes though, better late than never.

Fronted by vocalist Mia Zadora, this rag tag bunch of musical misfits construct songs that are like the walls of Macchu Picchu. Big, odd shaped lumps of stuff that fit so tightly that you can't get a playing card between them. Whilst this seeming chaos is unfolding, Mia’s vocals switch from chanteuse to operatic to the embodiment of “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. 

She prowls the stage and commands the audience with great skill. This is no mean feat, as quite often nowadays the front person in the band seems to rely on phrases that are becoming tropes in the metal scene and are shouted whether there are enough people to “open the fucking pit up” there or not.

The set closer is a song entitled Top Down Hearse, which sees guitarist Michael Hiatt perform a whistle solo that would make Sergio Leone weep with joy. (Editors Note: whistling can only be performed with the cowboy hat) And as they lap up the adoration of the crowd you realise that this is only the first band of the night. Being the opener is the hardest spot on the lineup. You have to get the crowd going, usually just after they have arrived and are still only half a beer deep. 

Grindhorse83’s sound is so infectious and energetic that they have no difficulty in getting the crowd into the palm of their hand (or, claws I guess, IYKYK).

After the brightly lit, organised chaos of Grindhorse 83, the lights lower, ivy appears to sprout from the very walls and candles cast a mysterious, magical glow…

Next up are last year's Welsh winners of M2TM South Wales, Adfeilion. Clad in black robes, faces daubed with woad, and with a solitary lantern lighting the way, Adfeilion make their way through the audience and take to the smoke filled stage. 

Last summer, they really surprised everyone at the competition with their instrumental, folklore tinged pagan prog-folk. The songs themselves provide the soundtrack to a story that is told in-between tracks. This is quite a novel experience, and one that allows you to fully appreciate all facets of the story being told.

They were engaging before when I saw them last year, but now they seem to have developed a harder edge to them since Ben Baljak (from openers Grindhorse83) joined. They can now properly be called a metal band, with the mellow, synth driven folk ambience offset by some genuinely heavy riffing. On the previous times I've seen them, I don't remember synchronised head banging and strobe lighting, but maybe I'm misremembering.

This new aspect doesn't feel contrived at all. While the guys obviously love the mellower vibes, you can see they really love to get very loud and very heavy. I'm glad to see that they are developing as a band into something genuinely unique.

Finally, accompanied by the incessant piping of frogs, the swamp priests Froglord took to the stage. Immediately you can see why these guys have made a name for themselves in the Stoner/Doom scene, even scoring spots at Bloodstock and Desertfest. Their titanic slab-like riffs sound like glaciers calving into the ocean, and are the perfect counterpoint to vocalist Benjamin Oak’s energetic stage presence. Imagine Rob Zombie fronting Variation On A Theme era OM, and you'll be somewhere close. Call me lazy with my comparisons if you wish, it is what it is.

After being warmed up with the opening two bands, the crowd were a sea of nodding heads as everyone locked into the riffs. Highlights of the set for me were The Bog, and They Came From Saturn (which closed the set). They are my two favourite Froglord songs, and as I joyously sang along, it was great to see a band new to The Bunkhouse had not only a rammed live room, but that everyone loved them.

I may have been in “a relaxed mood” (I was definitely in “a relaxed mood”), but the lineup segued perfectly from opener to closer. All three bands are well worthy of any and all accolades they receive. The Bunkhouse showed, yet again, why it is such a great venue, and is a real treasure to the Swansea music scene. 10/10

A View From The Back Of The Room: Thrice (Tom Bladen & Alex Tobias)

Thrice & Lysistrata, Tramshed, Cardiff 13.03.26



Alex

Getting the night going were French trio Lysistrata (7), who came on to little fanfare and jumped straight into their set of grungy, post-hardcore. Drummer Ben Amos Cooper was main singer, meaning that Max Roy (bass) and Théo Guéneau (guitar) are free to be very active, bouncing and moving around the stage with a frantic pace.

According to our Editor (who's a bit of nerd) their name comes from the Aristophanes feminist play where the titular character convinces women will withhold sex until their warring men reach a peace agreement. Nothing witheld here though as Lysistrata put their all into every song, leaving them very little time for interaction which did mean that the crowd were a little less receptive, though that could also be because most were there for the headliners.

A good showing that featured one slower song in between their normal faster mathy style, just on the right side of techy to open a show like this with plenty of energy and melody.

Tom

Some bands age with a kind of rare defiance that goes beyond call backs and nostalgia, and Thrice (9) are a perfect example.

Walking into a very busy Tramshed in Cardiff for the opening show on the UK run of this tour felt genuinely brilliant, not just because a full room sets the tone before a note has even been played, but because it says something still really matters about a band like Thrice — nearly three decades on from forming in 1998, they still pull an exceptional following, and not one built purely on nostalgia either.

From the moment they got going, the thing that really stood out was just how tight everything felt. Thrice have always been a band built on control as much as intensity, and throughout the set the musicianship was exceptional, Dustin in particular was astonishing.

His voice has aged like fine wine, carrying weight and grit into the older material while still sounding powerful, clear and almost album-perfect across both the newer songs and long-standing favourites. That in itself is no small feat when you have a catalogue that covers so much ground stylistically, but there was never a point where he sounded like he was reaching for something that was no longer there. It was there, fully intact, and then some.

If I had one small gripe it would be that I could have done with a touch more gain on the rhythm guitar parts, just to give some of the heavier moments a little more bite, but in truth it did very little to take away from the overall sound. What came through far more strongly was how balanced the whole set was, both in performance and design.

The pacing was spot on. Earlier on, there was plenty there for the fans who wanted the big hitters — The Artist In The Ambulance, Paper Tigers and Stare At The Sun all landed exactly as you would hope, and the room absolutely responded in kind — but what worked especially well was how the set later allowed itself some breathing room.

Dropping into slower, more haunting tracks like Black Honey and Beyond The Pines gave the night a different shape rather than just chugging at one speed, and that balance meant the set served both the casual crowd and the die-hards really well (especially considering some of us OG's need a breather these days!)

It was wonderful to see the near capacity crowd fully engaged, and giving the band the kind of reception you would want for the first UK date of a run like this. It felt like the perfect way to kick off the tour on this side of the bridge, and if the rest of the UK stint gets anything close to this standard then they are in for something special.

An exceptional performance from a band who continue to prove why they have endured as long as they have. Hopefully not too long before they are back again either.

(And with The Illusion Of Safety hitting 25 next year... surely?)

A View From The Back Of The Room: Primal Fear (Debby Myatt & Tony Gaskin)

Primal Fear & Ronnie Romero, KK’s Steel Mill, 12.06.26



Back in Wolverhampton tonight we are expecting a masterclass of vocal verbosity with two of the best voices in metal on display.

First up was journeyman vocalist Ronnie Romero (9). Often cited as the Voice of Modern Rock, Romero has been hand picked by the likes of Blackmore and Schenker in the past, but more recently he’s been concentrating on his own material, especially his last album Backbone.

Songs like Chased By Shadows from the album Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters and title track from Backbone are gritty, heavy and melodic. Perfectly balanced for his soaring vocals, and of course he doesn't disappoint us with two Rainbow tracks (Stargazer, Kill The King) and a Deep Purple track (The Battle Rages On).

We always look forward to Ronnie passing through, and he hints that he will be back with a full headline show, something to look forward to!

By the time the Teutonic knights of power metal took to the stage, the room was buzzing.

Touring in support of their latest album Domination the band were on fire. Ralf Scheepers leads his cohort through a domineering set of pure power metal ferocity. His voice is unwavering, still powerful, you can see why he was once touted as a replacement for Rob Halford. The twin guitar assault is led by Magnus Karlsson and new addition Thalia Bellazecca, with long time compadre Mat Sinner on bass.

Not surprisingly the set was built around tracks from the new album, songs like Destroyer and The Hunter give you a hint of what this album is going to sound like. With five tracks from the new album played tonight there was plenty of room for fan favourites from all era’s, from the origins of the band Primal Fear to the present day. Deep cuts like Chainbreaker and Final Embrace lead us into the grand finale of the epic Running In The Dust. A real masterclass in pure European heavy metal delivered with flare and gusto.

All we need now is the Quest Fest team to book Primal Fear (10) for Quest Fest 2027!

Reviews: Poison The Well, Kal - El, Evermore, ClockTowers (GC, Rich Piva, Matt Bladen & Cherie Curtis)

Poison The Well - Peace In Place (Sharptone Records) [GC]

Every now and again a band comes along who instantly changes everything you think you know about music, all the way back in 1998 a band called Poison The Well released their first EP and I was interested as it was a whole new different take on the hardcore sound, it had emotion and feeling as well as heaviness, and then they changed EVERYTHING with their the groundbreaking and untouchable debut album The Opposite Of December which still to this day holds up as one of the greatest albums ever released and will always hold a special place in my history and my heart. 

Now of course, that was a long time ago and they followed it up with some stellar releases and really defined themselves as one of the most original heavy bands of all time, then, they spilt and it all went quiet!? Devastation! Then, there were a few gigs here and there, they became more frequent, new music happened, tours concentrating on celebrating The Opposite Of December happened and were amazing, so what else could they do? A new album obviously, so today after 17 years (I think) we have a new Poison The Well record in the shape of Peace In Place and I personally couldn’t be happier!!

It pains me to say that I feel slightly shocked when Wax mask kicks in as I am not feeling that it is as urgent or driving as I would have expected or wanted it to be, it obviously has has some hallmarks of the trademark Poison The Well sound but if I am honest it feels a little underwhelming after such a long waiting for new music!? Primal Bloom though is much more interesting; the rhythms and time signatures have a little more power behind them and the guitar work really catches the attention and thankfully it is a much better showing and relieves some of the worry. 

Thoroughbreds feels like a much more familiar beast and takes me back to the classic sound, it incorporates lots of twists and turns and has power and grace and really keeps your attention all the way through and you can feel a momentum building but then Everything Hurts has a raw and stripped back to basic sound that creates a feeling of nervousness that it might not go anywhere but then when they unleash the primal rage they keep in their locker it becomes wonderful as its beautifully melodic and also crushingly heavy in places and the way they bounce of each other with these styles it just reminds you that there aren’t many better at this style.

With Weeping Tones we get what feels like another magnificent throwback that is packed full of nostalgia but doesn’t sound old or dated it just reminds me of a time when metalcore was fresh, new and most importantly interesting and fun to listen too, it makes me smile inside and is another reminder never to rule out the OG’s. You can file A Wake of Vultures in the file marked ‘’barnstormer’’, it absolutely smashes its way through you and hits all the right notes of anger and venom and the more it goes on the better it gets, you don’t want it to end. 

Bad Bodies is just unrelentingly majestic it controls and directs all of the heavy parts with an expert ease and also manages to be wonderfully beautiful but massively devastating in equal measures, it paints vivid pictures with music and sticks long in them memory even when it’s over. Drifting Without End is just an expert showing of how you should do melodic hardcore, it has a restrained fury that is then cloaked in a beauty and anger that shines through with the sort of skill that most bands will never manage to grasp and to still be able to pull this off after such along break and so far into a career is just breathtaking. 

I feel that Melted really should have opened the album! It just nails everything you want and manages to somehow elevate the power more and continues to just get progressively more agitated and vitriolic and really has Poison The Well stamped all the way through

Plague Them Most is probably one of the most perfect album ending tracks you could ever ask for, it has more expertly delivered fury mixed with a haunting type of graceful beauty that only really this band can manage because let’s be honest they actually created and made this style popular and here they just of course deliver their trademark sound and distil it perfectly into a world beating track and it just a feels like a perfectly wonderful way to finish.

I wanted to love this album and thankfully I did! There was a slight fear that after so long the magic would no longer be there or they may somehow dull the sound with a sub-par release, this didn’t happen, barring one track that I wasn’t full sold on the rest of it was immaculately presented and just re-affirmed my faith in this band as comeback albums go this can be put right up there as one of the best, a truly wonderful band have just released yet another truly wonderful record. 9/10

Kal-El - Astral Voyager Vol. 2 (Majestic Mountain Records/Blues Funeral Recordings) [Rich Piva]

I am not sure there is much more I can say about my love of Norway’s Kal-El. They are one of if not my favorite heavy underground band and somehow continue to get better and better each release, even after 13 years or so as a band. 

Last year’s Astral Voyager Vol. 1 got the highest marks from me, because it was vintage Kal-El: heavy and melodic, amazing songwriting, and a sound that you know is Kal-El the second you drop the needle. So given that last year’s record was Volume 1, you can assume this review is about Astral Voyager Volume 2. You would be correct. You would also be correct that this record rules as hard as the first chapter does, maybe even a bit more, if that is at all possible.

Written and recorded during the same sessions for part one, the band and their label, Blues Funeral, decided to release the record in two parts instead of a big double record. This was the right move, as it allows the listener to get intimate with the songs on each album, and spend more time with the individual records of which demand that level of attention. 

Kicking off with Juno, it’s obvious right away this one is going to hang with the last one and frankly all of their other untouchable material. A midtempo, vintage Kal-El track with the riffs and the killer vocals. I love the vocal layers and the earworm chorus, and of course, the guitar work is next level. The Nine has this amazing build up until the Kal-El trademarked killer riff kicks in, and another amazing ten minute journey begins. Ståle’s vocals are some of his best work on this one, and you can hear the growth and the confidence he now has in his voice. 

The Prophecy brings the heavy and low end riff goodness and is the chunkiest track of the six on Volume 2. I love it when the pace picks up half way through. You would have thought Kal-El had a song called Juggernaut already but they did not. They do now, and of course it is awesome. It’s everything you want from this band. This one is another example of Ståle leaving it all out there vocally. Closing out on the one-two punch of Pan and Asteroid shows the level of detail the guys pay attention to when tracking, with the latter probably making its way into my top five or so Kal-El songs ever.

Is it fair to give the Kal-El fanboy the new record to review? Is that really objective journalism? No and It’s not, but good thing objective journalism doesn’t exist so I can just tell you that Kal-El is one of the best bands on this or on any other planet and Astral Voyager Vol. 2 rules as much as any of their already perfect catalogue rules. 42:56 of perfection. 10/10

Evermore - Mournbraid (Scarlet Records) [Matt Bladen]

Swedes Evermore deliver more uplifting power metal on album number three. Mournbraid is packed with theatre, built on heavier riffs than you expect (Underdark/Nightstar Odyssey), the vocals are fantastic and burst out of the speakers from the first song

In terms of influences The Illusionist is right up there with the likes of Edguy and Helloween in the boisterous stakes, while Ravens At The Gate goes into the keyboard driven sounds of Stratovarius, the title track picks up pace with some galloping Euro power metal while they don't shy away from a balladry on Old Man's Tale where the likes of Savatage can be heard.

Evermore's music is incredibly melodic it draws from personal struggles and is also very grandiose in the composition ma which is amazing when you consider they Evermore are only a trio; Johan Haraldsson on vocals, Andreas Viklands on drums and Johan Karlsson playing guitar/bass/piano/orchestrations.

Now I've always been a massive Edguy fan and Evermore remind me of that band a lot with album three. Heavy when it needs to be, filled with anthemic choruses and emotive lyrics Mournbraid, stand out in today's current power metal crop. 8/10

ClockTowers – Genesis (Self Published) [Cherie Curtis]

ClockTowers presents Genesis, a short and sweet 8 track album which is abrasive and emotionally raw. Each track possesses its own distinct personality, ranging from melodic, emotive pieces to lively, head-banging anthems. It’s a perfect blend of rough, heavy, old-school riffs and a contemporary, atmospheric backing tracks offering an enamouring and groovy bassline that will get you moving despite yourself.

What strikes me most with this one is the addictive duality within the instrumentals. In the title track, Genesis, for example, the guitar is harmonically clear with a dreamy reverb that's undercut by low-slug, heavy drumming. The weight of the two together creates a nostalgic and bittersweet punch to the gut.

The vocals are enthralling - brooding, raspy and tightly coiled. While the main source of power and build-up comes from the instrumentals. However after a satisfying hook and catchy chorus, what is thoughtfully added as a cherry on top in a few tracks is an illuminous hight pitched vocal sustains and subtle yet dense harmonies which adds an extra layer of texture which interestingly serves as a breakdown but not in the aggressive headbanging sense most metal listeners are used too.

It was apparent to me from the first listen that of work went into composing this album. I was surprised to find out that ClockTowers consists of only two members and a few guest features, and that they’re a relatively new band formed in 2022. With this level of articulation and such a cohesive and deliberate sound, I’d have thought they have been around since the late 90s or early 2000s. There's something about their overall vibe that feels instantly familiar. Listening to them felt like rediscovering an album you haven't picked up in years.

Overall, I really enjoyed discovering ClockTowers and Genesis is my new favourite. I'm a fan of this interesting mesh of genre sound; they have somehow managed to successfully be refreshing and a throwback. It's made its way onto my daily rotation, if you’re a fan of hard rock and melodic metal give this one a go. 9/10.