Silvertomb - The Interpretation Of Nightmares (Steamhammer) [Matt Bladen]
At the risk of being released probably two weeks too late for Halloween, The Interpretation Of Nightmares is an ideal soundtrack for the frigid nights of November where it's dark at 4pm, the winter chill frostbites the extremities and everything seems a little bleak as the ever encroaching madness of the years end looms over you like a Mariah Carey shaped sleep paralysis demon.
Silvertomb are the embodiment of this winter bleakness, their music is an overspill from Samhain, into the season of darkness, they have auspiciously waited seven years to follow up their debut but this is a supergroup that have languished in the gothic realms of doom and desolation as Silvertomb features two members who have served time with Type O Negative/Danzig.
Vocalist/guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly are the ones that have been in these gothic legends but they are joined by guitarist Joe James (ex-Agnostic Front), bassist Hank Hell (ex-Sheer Terror) and guitarist/keyboardist Aaron Joos, to make a super group of sorts that put their musical fingerprints across this record, their second studio release delayed by a global pandemic and Hickey's struggle with alcohol addiction.
This gap has probably actually been a boon to Silvertomb as this is a stunning record if you like your metal with a a diverse creative influence, as Prayer For The Paranoid and No Way To Live, worship of Iommi, Ozzy and co, the shadow of Sabbath one of the strongest of the styles visited on The Interpretation Of Nightmare.
As the latter gets all trippy in the middle, it opens up some of the other styles that Silvertomb bring to the table with a progressive streak that has some major Pink Floyd inspiration on the middle section of When Will You Learn which shows off the guitar skills on offer from the three guitarists, Graves In The Sky dreamily letting acoustics seep into this psychedelic nightmare.
There's Black Label Society on the big riffing Distorted, Hickey's carrying the same weight and drawl as Zakk as he sings about his addiction and the recovery that came afterwards on You Know, and rejoice as there's Type O nihilism on the opener Brain Matter No God, raw and dirty with thundering bottom end.
If you have even even a passing interest in the bands I mentioned in this review then you need The Interpretation Of Nightmares, a supergroup of epic proportions. 9/10
Scarlet Rebels – Flawed By Design (Earache Records) [Keith Boswell]
The Llanelli four piece will very shortly be releasing their fourth studio album on the Earache Record label entitled Flawed By Design on the 13th November 2026. Emanating from the Arch Recording Studios under the tutelage of producer Chris Clancy is the eleven-track offering from one of Wales’s most popular bands around at the moment Scarlet Rebels.
The album is centred and written around a tragic loss and the reflection of how flawed life is to let that happen. At this point I think it prudent to admit that I am probably the only person in Wales who has not listened to a Scarlet Rebels track ever! So, I go into this review with my eyes open and based upon recent media reaction I am in for a treat! Historically critics have really pushed and praised the Rebels previous album, Where Colours Meet, released in 2024, so no pressure on the band to keep this quality product going then!
So straight into proceedings with the first track Gods Honest Truth which sets the tone for the album, it’s very polished and has some good riffs and hooks, it almost makes you feel comfortable, like a warm duvet, further listening unveils a great solo towards the end of the track from lead guitarist Chris Jones.
Interestingly the intro for track two This Is Happening Now, in my opinion, could almost have been written by the Stereophonics or the Manics, it seems just so typically Welsh with that opening riff that drives the song along, it’s a given that Wayne Doyle certainly has his own voice but I think the listener will understand especially when the hooks continue throughout in the same or similar vein. After listening to a few more tracks, I’m starting to get the feeling that this will be the tempo / style that will be a constant throughout and indeed after a few listens this proves to be the case.
Now I maybe a little controversial here, but I find the songs very similar, and dare I say it somewhat bland. I know I will be shot down by the whole of Wales I’m sure, but it just doesn’t appeal to me. I know that fans of Scarlet Rebels will love it and enjoy this album which is great and so they should. I will endeavour to try and find some love for it by listening further but I’m not convinced that will happen. Technically a well-polished and produced album just not for me. 6/10
Wraith - Descent Into Darkness (Prosthetic Records) [Matt Bladen]
Descent Into Darkness is the sixth album from Midwest thrashers Wraith. Some thrash bands like to have a bit of fun or show off Wraith are not like that, their focussed and ferocious, yes there's lots of guitar solos for the air guitar fans but this Indiana band want to start a riot.
They even play the siren on Atomic Queen to warn you of their impending aggression, it's extreme and packed with lyrics drawn from the darkest parts of history. Rapid pace drumming, razor's edge riffs but melodies that come from twin guitar assault on Misery And Malice that brings similarities to tourmates Midnight and Exciter.
The album is about the horrors of war, World War I, a particularly strong influence for frontman Matt, the blood-drenched fields of Verdun, the Somme and Passchendaele, explored on Over The Top and No Mans Land, these vivid depictions of futility driven by a barbaric thrash metal assault and the shouted vocals.
The band say that Descent Into Darkness is hinged on No Man's Land and Back In The Trenches, the final two songs. Both giving you depictions of the dirt, blood and brutality of WWI in the no nonsense style that Wraith have sharpened to lethal efficiency over five albums, Descent Into Darkness, is on the nastier edge of thrash, with thought provoking lyrics and technical dexterity. 8/10
Yngwie Malmsteen – Hell Or High Water (Music Theories Recording/Artone Label Group) [Keith Boswell]
After forty years in the music industry Yngwie Malmsteen delivers his twenty second studio album Hell Or High Water on the 13th November 2026. Released by Music Theories Recording / Artone Label Group the piece of work consists of nine both instrumental and vocal tracks for a duration of just over forty minutes.
The album is typically Malmsteen, a neoclassical form of fast guitar metal, impossibly fast some may say. After listening to the first few songs, it becomes apparent that this album deserves to seen on the stage in some symphonic manner played by a first class symphony group and not offered out necessarily to rock fans in purely an album format. The music is certainly atmospheric but unfortunately after a few listens it is evident that the music is uninspiring and repetitive.
This may upset the Malmsteen faithful and that’s ok because I’m sure they will hold this piece of work in high regard. I love a guitar solo as much if not more than the next person but even this is too much for me! I take my hat off to Malmsteen and the career that he has had to date but unfortunately this album is very much not for me. 5/10
Friday, 13 November 2026
Thursday, 12 November 2026
Reviews: Eternity's End, Mason Hill, Ptolemea, Wood Burnt Red (Keith Boswell, Matt Bladen, Mateusz Stefanow & Spike)
Eternity’s End – Titanblood (Scarlet Records) [Keith Boswell]
Eternity’s End are a power metal band from Bavaria, Germany. Formed in 2014 the band have released their fourth studio album Titanblood on the 6th November 2026.
It has been five years since we last had the privilege of an album from Eternity’s End, would Titanblood live up to the standards that they have set themselves previously?
Eternity’s End are a power metal band from Bavaria, Germany. Formed in 2014 the band have released their fourth studio album Titanblood on the 6th November 2026.
It has been five years since we last had the privilege of an album from Eternity’s End, would Titanblood live up to the standards that they have set themselves previously?
One thing is for sure you know exactly what you are going to get from Eternity’s End and that’s high speed, shred heavy, dramatic, intense metal and one is most certainly not disappointed in this new offering.
On my first listen the band reminded me very much of the 1980’s giants Helloween with their high-pitched vocals and plentiful guitars. This coupled with a mixture of Control Denied’s late vocalist Tim Aymar tones interspersed throughout makes for a heady blend of vocal loveliness.
On my first listen the band reminded me very much of the 1980’s giants Helloween with their high-pitched vocals and plentiful guitars. This coupled with a mixture of Control Denied’s late vocalist Tim Aymar tones interspersed throughout makes for a heady blend of vocal loveliness.
If you enjoy songs that seemingly have their entire duration made up of guitar type solos, percussive double bass pedal action and keyboards to boot, you are in the right place.
That said the first track, The Gods Of Bal Sagoth, opens very delicately with a short acoustic intro, but don’t let this fool you, it last for approximately thirty seconds whereby an avalanche of guitars and drums hit you like a sledgehammer. Its great I love it already!
It is clear that a quality metal guitar shredding symphony of delights awaits the listener, double guitars providing melodic rhythm and crushing solo type notes in tandem, is the order of the day.
Sword In The Storm, sees the introduction of the keyboards as another main ingredient in this metal soup, keyboard player, Jimmy Pitts, provides an atmospheric edge to this song which melds almost as one with the guitars. Great work.
I particularly enjoyed track four, the instrumental Interstellar Transmission, through the use principally of the keyboards and guitars it allows the listener to close their eyes and imagine the transmission of information being passed through the soundwaves in space, its proggy offering just transports you there until it’s time to come back down to earth again.
After this short interlude the album takes off again with The Wakes Of The Carrion King and Eternal Winter, coming down briefly for a series of tempo changes in the Abyss Watchers and concluding proceedings with the all guns firing Rule The Night.
After a number of listens this album has really stuck with me and I’ll be listening to it well after this review has been read! 8/10
Mason Hill - World So Wonderful (7hz Productions) [Matt Bladen]
Heavy rock of the modern kind now with the new record from Mason Hill. An album that has been a long time coming and record against no shortage of issues, roadblocks and general music industry shenanigans.
Despite only being a decade old they have faced record label bull, a pandemic and their singer leaving. Some bands wouldn't survive one of these nevermond all of them, the band themselves even though about closing the book on the band.
However they persevered and Mason Hill's sophomore has finally arrived six years after their debut and it's the sound of a band looking to their new era, a new voice behind the mic leading to a new musical exploration.
They didn't want to repeat what they did on their debut, wanting World So Wonderful to be the definition of who the band are now, tracks like the ballad Stay For A Little While have American alternative rock comes in.
The contempoary sound continuing through the electronics that twitch and pulsate behind their riffs on Hurricane and Silence, as the stomping Burn It Down, Resonate and Without You are the height of modernity as the latter two even opens up to shouted vocals.
Overcoming a lot of adversity, it seems Mason Hill have discovered that there's a World So Wonderful when you persevere and let your music speak for you. 7/10
Ptolemea - The Antfarm Session (RagingPlanet) [Mateusz Stefanow]
Following Ptolemea’s 2025 release of Kali vocalist Priscila Da Costa returned to delve deeper into the depths of her music, to strip back the layers and show the power of her vocals and an acoustic guitar.
That said the first track, The Gods Of Bal Sagoth, opens very delicately with a short acoustic intro, but don’t let this fool you, it last for approximately thirty seconds whereby an avalanche of guitars and drums hit you like a sledgehammer. Its great I love it already!
It is clear that a quality metal guitar shredding symphony of delights awaits the listener, double guitars providing melodic rhythm and crushing solo type notes in tandem, is the order of the day.
Sword In The Storm, sees the introduction of the keyboards as another main ingredient in this metal soup, keyboard player, Jimmy Pitts, provides an atmospheric edge to this song which melds almost as one with the guitars. Great work.
I particularly enjoyed track four, the instrumental Interstellar Transmission, through the use principally of the keyboards and guitars it allows the listener to close their eyes and imagine the transmission of information being passed through the soundwaves in space, its proggy offering just transports you there until it’s time to come back down to earth again.
After this short interlude the album takes off again with The Wakes Of The Carrion King and Eternal Winter, coming down briefly for a series of tempo changes in the Abyss Watchers and concluding proceedings with the all guns firing Rule The Night.
After a number of listens this album has really stuck with me and I’ll be listening to it well after this review has been read! 8/10
Mason Hill - World So Wonderful (7hz Productions) [Matt Bladen]
Heavy rock of the modern kind now with the new record from Mason Hill. An album that has been a long time coming and record against no shortage of issues, roadblocks and general music industry shenanigans.
Despite only being a decade old they have faced record label bull, a pandemic and their singer leaving. Some bands wouldn't survive one of these nevermond all of them, the band themselves even though about closing the book on the band.
However they persevered and Mason Hill's sophomore has finally arrived six years after their debut and it's the sound of a band looking to their new era, a new voice behind the mic leading to a new musical exploration.
They didn't want to repeat what they did on their debut, wanting World So Wonderful to be the definition of who the band are now, tracks like the ballad Stay For A Little While have American alternative rock comes in.
The contempoary sound continuing through the electronics that twitch and pulsate behind their riffs on Hurricane and Silence, as the stomping Burn It Down, Resonate and Without You are the height of modernity as the latter two even opens up to shouted vocals.
Overcoming a lot of adversity, it seems Mason Hill have discovered that there's a World So Wonderful when you persevere and let your music speak for you. 7/10
Ptolemea - The Antfarm Session (RagingPlanet) [Mateusz Stefanow]
Following Ptolemea’s 2025 release of Kali vocalist Priscila Da Costa returned to delve deeper into the depths of her music, to strip back the layers and show the power of her vocals and an acoustic guitar.
Thus was born the Antfarm Session; by shedding the post/alt-rock elements of the former release she dives into the dark-folk aspects that underlie her music. Although listening to Kali is not necessary to appreciate the power and depth of this release, I would highly recommend it.
Gaivota has been promoted to the opening track, a purely vocal song, that has lost none of it’s impact from the original release, perhaps gaining a newfound intimacy in the loneliness of the vocals, as Da Costa showcases her phenomenal vocal control.
Aqui, Ali, Acola is next, and the acoustic guitar opens this next song. Featuring soft, drawn out vocal sections paired with more forceful sections this song is floats on the winds of Da Costa’s strumming, giving the track a dark edge and living up to the dark folk subgenre.
Guilhotina once again reminds us that this release lacks nothing despite having less than on Kali, the raw humanity that Priscila carries within her breathes life and depth into this album.
Breathe becomes lighter, with softer strumming, and more restrained vocals, a brighter, musically more gentle song, yet losing no complexity or quality, the high notes are hit flawlessly and uplift the soul, before carrying us up, up and away.
Kura, and then Kali are once again a touch darker, but the darkness of the shadows of leaves on a late summer evening in the forest, slowly encompassing you, whilst the last vestiges of sunlight reach out through the trees.
This album is exquisite, it’s soft, yet powerful, dark yet light, and so simple yet so deep. Da Costa understands what makes her music so emotive and uniquely her own, and lets the petals of Kali fall away to reveal the blooming core beneath, a triumphant success. 9/10
Wood Burnt Red – Hold On Tight (Independent) [Spike]
It’s fair to say that Southern-fried country rock isn't usually the first port of call when rifling through my listening queue.
Gaivota has been promoted to the opening track, a purely vocal song, that has lost none of it’s impact from the original release, perhaps gaining a newfound intimacy in the loneliness of the vocals, as Da Costa showcases her phenomenal vocal control.
Aqui, Ali, Acola is next, and the acoustic guitar opens this next song. Featuring soft, drawn out vocal sections paired with more forceful sections this song is floats on the winds of Da Costa’s strumming, giving the track a dark edge and living up to the dark folk subgenre.
Guilhotina once again reminds us that this release lacks nothing despite having less than on Kali, the raw humanity that Priscila carries within her breathes life and depth into this album.
Breathe becomes lighter, with softer strumming, and more restrained vocals, a brighter, musically more gentle song, yet losing no complexity or quality, the high notes are hit flawlessly and uplift the soul, before carrying us up, up and away.
Kura, and then Kali are once again a touch darker, but the darkness of the shadows of leaves on a late summer evening in the forest, slowly encompassing you, whilst the last vestiges of sunlight reach out through the trees.
This album is exquisite, it’s soft, yet powerful, dark yet light, and so simple yet so deep. Da Costa understands what makes her music so emotive and uniquely her own, and lets the petals of Kali fall away to reveal the blooming core beneath, a triumphant success. 9/10
Wood Burnt Red – Hold On Tight (Independent) [Spike]
It’s fair to say that Southern-fried country rock isn't usually the first port of call when rifling through my listening queue.
When your day-to-day listening is dominated by caveman death metal slams, feedback-drenched shoegaze, and punishing sludge, dropping a record that trades blast beats for acoustic strums and lap steel requires an immediate shift in gears. It is definitely a good bit "softer" than my usual fare.
Here’s the bottom line: if you’re going to pick a genre and commit to doing it properly, you’d better deliver the goods. On Hold On Tight, UK outfit Wood Burnt Red provide a masterclass in how to execute that style with absolute class, heart, and razor-sharp songcraft.
Hailing from Gloucestershire and fronted by vocalist Tom Franklin, Wood Burnt Red don't sound like a bunch of British lads putting on a polite, dress-up pantomime of Americana. They sound like they were raised on sweet tea, porch-sitting, and sawdust barrooms.
Hailing from Gloucestershire and fronted by vocalist Tom Franklin, Wood Burnt Red don't sound like a bunch of British lads putting on a polite, dress-up pantomime of Americana. They sound like they were raised on sweet tea, porch-sitting, and sawdust barrooms.
For fans of Blackberry Smoke, Whiskey Myers, or The Cadillac Three, this record lands like a statement of intent, proving that world-class Southern rock and country can be forged just as effectively on UK soil as it is on the outskirts of Nashville.
The record kicks off with Best Things, immediately setting a cheeky, self-deprecating tone. It’s got a buoyant, hoe-down bounce that leans into wry humour, but with observations that hit uncomfortably close to home.
The record kicks off with Best Things, immediately setting a cheeky, self-deprecating tone. It’s got a buoyant, hoe-down bounce that leans into wry humour, but with observations that hit uncomfortably close to home.
That good-time grin gives way to pure horsepower on Fire Me Up, which hits with the swagger of a bucking bull at a Friday night rodeo. The guitar work here is tight, crunchy, and packed with rock 'n' roll attitude, proving early on that the band can dial up the grit whenever they please.
Where Hold On Tight truly elevates itself, however, is in its emotional honesty. Count My Blessings puts the party vibes aside to confront the brutal realities of addiction and recovery. Franklin’s vocals carry immense weight here, there's no theatrical posturing, just pure, believable vulnerability that makes you hang on every word.
Where Hold On Tight truly elevates itself, however, is in its emotional honesty. Count My Blessings puts the party vibes aside to confront the brutal realities of addiction and recovery. Franklin’s vocals carry immense weight here, there's no theatrical posturing, just pure, believable vulnerability that makes you hang on every word.
That sincerity bleeds right into Bartender, a soulful, whiskey-tinged anthem steeped in classic country storytelling about wanting nothing more than an ear to listen to life's bruises.
The album isn't afraid to linger in darker emotional spaces either. Drifting explores depression with remarkable restraint, keeping the instrumentation sparse and gentle so Franklin's voice has all the room it needs to breathe. That fragile beauty extends into One Chance, a deep, haunting love song that serves as one of the quietest highlights of the collection.
The mood lifts naturally with Every Road, which captures the warmth of a late-night acoustic jam around an open firepit, before Times a Healer brings back the swagger with an infectious, karma-fuelled stomp that puts a broad smile on your face.
The album isn't afraid to linger in darker emotional spaces either. Drifting explores depression with remarkable restraint, keeping the instrumentation sparse and gentle so Franklin's voice has all the room it needs to breathe. That fragile beauty extends into One Chance, a deep, haunting love song that serves as one of the quietest highlights of the collection.
The mood lifts naturally with Every Road, which captures the warmth of a late-night acoustic jam around an open firepit, before Times a Healer brings back the swagger with an infectious, karma-fuelled stomp that puts a broad smile on your face.
On Simple Place, the band delivers a stunning, reflective powerhouse about taking stock of what truly matters in life, boasting a towering vocal delivery from Franklin that carries more than a little Scott Stapp/early Creed grit and warmth.
The energy peaks on To The Moon, an upbeat, swaggering number with a killer groove that practically demands line-dancing boots, before the closing powerhouse
The energy peaks on To The Moon, an upbeat, swaggering number with a killer groove that practically demands line-dancing boots, before the closing powerhouse
Where You Are Now brings the journey home. Starting with gentle reflection before building into a soaring, dual-guitar breakdown, it confronts friendship, disappointment, and hard-earned wisdom with immense emotional payoff.
Hold On Tight might be a stylistic detour from the heavier end of my shelf, but great songwriting is undeniable no matter the decibel level. Wood Burnt Red have delivered a warm, funny, moving, and brilliantly performed record that proves authentic Southern rock has found a formidable new outpost across the Atlantic.
Hold On Tight might be a stylistic detour from the heavier end of my shelf, but great songwriting is undeniable no matter the decibel level. Wood Burnt Red have delivered a warm, funny, moving, and brilliantly performed record that proves authentic Southern rock has found a formidable new outpost across the Atlantic.
An absolute triumph of craft. 8/10
Reviews: Konvent, Purest Form, Dantalion, Sigilo (Matt Bladen, Spike, Mateusz Stefanow & Yasmin Mason)
Konvent - Firesky (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]
Back with their third album, Danish band Konvent have only written five new tracks on Firesky but they are the weightiest, heaviest and longest tracks in their career so far.
The foursome of Rikke Emilie List (vocals), Amira Liv Hernan (guitar/vocals), Julie Simonsen (drums) and Heidi Withington Brink (bass) have crafted this album from the ground up, embellishing their death/doom beginnings with darker and more majestic arrangements that shift what Konvent are about, into a more experimental place.
The five tracks here linger in cinematic instrumental realms, with each movement around 10 minutes, these four women have the ability to take risks here, from Exorcise to Postludium it's all about building something, the expanded run times letting the guitar/bass/drums showcase a much more dynamic range than on their last two albums.
With Firesky they adopt a position that allows black metal to inflitrate their sound, using tension and release that results in cascading heavy riffs and the intense vocals, the lumbering doom and atmospheric post realms, cut through with death metal brutality and black metal fury.
The self-titled, 10th album by Galician black metal heavyweights Dantalion abandons their former blackened death approach in favour of melodic/atmospheric black metal nihilism.
The album opens with Born Of My Own Damnation, which is a solid start to set the scene for what is to come, with dark, melodic guitarwork, growled vocals and heavier riffs that complement the darkness of the lyrics, focussing on the inherent darkness and decline of the human race.
Ascend Through Ruin showcases Naemoth’s brilliant drumming techniques further, framing the vocals and Netzja’s melodic tremolos on the guitar. It feels as though Netzja is using his guitar as a paintbrush, with each stroke he layers this heavy atmosphere through the melodic technicality of his playing.
Coming in with soaring riffing and deep growls, Whispers From the Inner Abyss embodies that phenomenal album art, in how it makes you feel abandoned by all light and goodness, afloat in that titular abyss.
The Temple Of Internal Ruin feels melancholic, which I think Diego is trying to exacerbate via his clean vocals in sections here, but unfortunately for me, those clean vocals feel out of place and fall a little flat in regard to the rest of the album.
Overall, this is an exquisite performance of atmospheric/melodic black metal, oozing character, grim desperation, melancholy and nihilistic vitriol throughout it’s seven tracks.
Back with their third album, Danish band Konvent have only written five new tracks on Firesky but they are the weightiest, heaviest and longest tracks in their career so far.
The foursome of Rikke Emilie List (vocals), Amira Liv Hernan (guitar/vocals), Julie Simonsen (drums) and Heidi Withington Brink (bass) have crafted this album from the ground up, embellishing their death/doom beginnings with darker and more majestic arrangements that shift what Konvent are about, into a more experimental place.
The five tracks here linger in cinematic instrumental realms, with each movement around 10 minutes, these four women have the ability to take risks here, from Exorcise to Postludium it's all about building something, the expanded run times letting the guitar/bass/drums showcase a much more dynamic range than on their last two albums.
With Firesky they adopt a position that allows black metal to inflitrate their sound, using tension and release that results in cascading heavy riffs and the intense vocals, the lumbering doom and atmospheric post realms, cut through with death metal brutality and black metal fury.
Firesky is Konvent altering their attention to something different but still well within the musical history as a band. Poignant, vivid and complex, this third album builds on the legacy of Konvent. 8/10
Purest Form – Resistance (Dais Records) [Spike]
There are bands that use industrial textures as a subtle studio seasoning, a bit of cold distortion here, an ominous synth pad there. And then there are acts that treat drum machines, serrated riffs, and 90s rave culture like pure incendiary fuel.
Purest Form – Resistance (Dais Records) [Spike]
There are bands that use industrial textures as a subtle studio seasoning, a bit of cold distortion here, an ominous synth pad there. And then there are acts that treat drum machines, serrated riffs, and 90s rave culture like pure incendiary fuel.
Emerging out of Los Angeles with backgrounds firmly rooted in aggressive hardcore outfits, the trio of vocalist Story Beeson, guitarist/programmer Madi Woodward, and bassist Riley Oikawa-Dahlson operate under the banner of Purest Form.
On their second EP and debut for Dais Records, Resistance, they deliver a six-track, fifteen-minute anarchist assault designed to shake concrete foundations.
I'll be the first to admit that anything heavily "dance-forward" sits well outside my usual listening comfort zone. If you usually take your heavy music strictly through the medium of human drummers beating acoustic kits to splinters.
I'll be the first to admit that anything heavily "dance-forward" sits well outside my usual listening comfort zone. If you usually take your heavy music strictly through the medium of human drummers beating acoustic kits to splinters.
A record built around fractured breakbeats, drum-and-bass tempos, and techno-infused electronic loops requires a sharp mental pivot. But here is the crux of it: heavy music only survives and evolves when artists possess the courage to push against comfortable boundaries to carve out their own territory.
Purest Form are doing exactly that, and that fearless spirit deserves genuine credit.
The EP kicks the door in with Animal and right away the stylistic collisions hit with physical force. Described by the band as "White Zombie meets Underworld," it rides a relentless, danceable pulse underneath crushing, chugged guitar riffs.
The EP kicks the door in with Animal and right away the stylistic collisions hit with physical force. Described by the band as "White Zombie meets Underworld," it rides a relentless, danceable pulse underneath crushing, chugged guitar riffs.
Beeson’s vocal delivery is immediate and feral, shouting and spitting lines to the brink of vocal-cord shredding. The momentum charges straight into Break, which marries rapid-fire snare rolls with ascending guitars and raw, unhinged aggression, detailing a friendship pushed to extreme, destructive limits.
Clocking in at barely over a minute, Beyond Terror serves as the project's most visceral, direct political statement. Fronted by a guttural vocal scream, it trades in distorted kicks and accelerating industrial stutters that feel like early Nine Inch Nails at their most caustic and confrontational.
Clocking in at barely over a minute, Beyond Terror serves as the project's most visceral, direct political statement. Fronted by a guttural vocal scream, it trades in distorted kicks and accelerating industrial stutters that feel like early Nine Inch Nails at their most caustic and confrontational.
The energy shifts again on More, where talk-rapped verses give way to eerie screeching textures and frantic breakbeats.
The record hits its rhythmic manifesto on Bass Resistance, unleashing an abrasive siren-call bassline that pairs a drum-and-bass shove with metallic urgency, demanding raw volume and refusal to stand idly by.
The record hits its rhythmic manifesto on Bass Resistance, unleashing an abrasive siren-call bassline that pairs a drum-and-bass shove with metallic urgency, demanding raw volume and refusal to stand idly by.
To round out the set, they turn to a track that has long been a live staple: an aggressive cover of The Prodigy's Breathe. Running that iconic 90s big beat anthem through heavy guitar distortion and Beeson's abrasive vocal shred honours the original's reckless rave energy while giving it a raw, metallic spine.
Resistance won't be for everyone, particularly those who prefer their heavy music kept safely within traditional metal boxes. But Purest Form aren't making polite background music; they've captured modern-day angst, trauma, and defiance through a turbulent collision of hardcore grit and industrial dance music.
Resistance won't be for everyone, particularly those who prefer their heavy music kept safely within traditional metal boxes. But Purest Form aren't making polite background music; they've captured modern-day angst, trauma, and defiance through a turbulent collision of hardcore grit and industrial dance music.
An intriguing, boundary-pushing release from a young band charging ahead on their own terms. 8/10
Dantalion - Dantalion (Base Record Production) [Mateusz Stefanow]
Dantalion - Dantalion (Base Record Production) [Mateusz Stefanow]
The self-titled, 10th album by Galician black metal heavyweights Dantalion abandons their former blackened death approach in favour of melodic/atmospheric black metal nihilism.
The album opens with Born Of My Own Damnation, which is a solid start to set the scene for what is to come, with dark, melodic guitarwork, growled vocals and heavier riffs that complement the darkness of the lyrics, focussing on the inherent darkness and decline of the human race.
Ascend Through Ruin showcases Naemoth’s brilliant drumming techniques further, framing the vocals and Netzja’s melodic tremolos on the guitar. It feels as though Netzja is using his guitar as a paintbrush, with each stroke he layers this heavy atmosphere through the melodic technicality of his playing.
Coming in with soaring riffing and deep growls, Whispers From the Inner Abyss embodies that phenomenal album art, in how it makes you feel abandoned by all light and goodness, afloat in that titular abyss.
The Temple Of Internal Ruin feels melancholic, which I think Diego is trying to exacerbate via his clean vocals in sections here, but unfortunately for me, those clean vocals feel out of place and fall a little flat in regard to the rest of the album.
Overall, this is an exquisite performance of atmospheric/melodic black metal, oozing character, grim desperation, melancholy and nihilistic vitriol throughout it’s seven tracks.
The return of Diego on vocals was an excellent choice, as he ties everything together with his various vocal techniques, even if not all of them land ideally for me, but hopefully others will find value in that. 8/10
Sigilo - Gloria Ad Inferi (Alma Mater Records) [Yasmin Mason]
First there was Mournkind. And out of the ashes of Mournkind, Sigilo was born, the latest solo project of Duarte "Selvmord" Pombo. Almost a decade in the making, Gloria Ad Inferi - Glory to Hell - is the debut album from Selvmord's latest incarnation.
A tolling bell heralds the start of track 1, Black Spell Of Death Chaos And Destruction. If we were rating song titles, this would be a 10/10 for sure. I have high hopes that the song lives up to it's title.
Sigilo - Gloria Ad Inferi (Alma Mater Records) [Yasmin Mason]
First there was Mournkind. And out of the ashes of Mournkind, Sigilo was born, the latest solo project of Duarte "Selvmord" Pombo. Almost a decade in the making, Gloria Ad Inferi - Glory to Hell - is the debut album from Selvmord's latest incarnation.
A tolling bell heralds the start of track 1, Black Spell Of Death Chaos And Destruction. If we were rating song titles, this would be a 10/10 for sure. I have high hopes that the song lives up to it's title.
There's a surprisingly catchy intro - which repeats throughout the track - before the full force of the song hits. At nearly eight minutes long it's a behemoth of a track, but it's put together well, with slower tempo sections giving a small respite before the ferocity kicks in again.
Preliminary Invocation and Sombre Prayer For The Ostracized continue in a similar style to track 1, full on ferocious segments interspersed with slower tempo riffs which help to maintain interest throughout. I particularly like the spoken vocals on Preliminary Invocation.
Universal Gathering Chantic, is a little bit more melodic, a little bit slower than the first three tracks. The squeal of the guitars and the more prominent keys, which eventually descend into a dark, distorted carnivalesque effect, give this track an atmosphere all of it's own.
The next few tracks are shorter, faster and more furious but there's plenty to enjoy here, from the repetitive, almost trance inducing riff which plays throughout The Lurking Evil and the opening bars of Everything Satan, to the vocals of As Cosmic Forces Rise, which sound familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on who they remind me of.
Instrumental title track Gloria Ad Inferi again brings a shift in atmosphere with more melodic riffs and keys playing a larger part. With a more uplifting feel, this track again feels reminiscent of something else, but I can't quite figure out what.
Throughout the album, my attention is drawn to the guitars and vocals, with the drums and occasional keys very much playing a supporting role. There are plenty of catchy riffs throughout. I find myself enjoying Selvmord's vocals throughout the album but especially so on Engodo. Hearing Selvmord perform vocals in Portuguese elevates them to another level.
The final two tracks, Cavernous Black Spell Of Death Chaos And Destruction and Cavernous Universal Chantic are repeats of earlier songs with a grainier production and with the keys much more prominent in the mix.
Preliminary Invocation and Sombre Prayer For The Ostracized continue in a similar style to track 1, full on ferocious segments interspersed with slower tempo riffs which help to maintain interest throughout. I particularly like the spoken vocals on Preliminary Invocation.
Universal Gathering Chantic, is a little bit more melodic, a little bit slower than the first three tracks. The squeal of the guitars and the more prominent keys, which eventually descend into a dark, distorted carnivalesque effect, give this track an atmosphere all of it's own.
The next few tracks are shorter, faster and more furious but there's plenty to enjoy here, from the repetitive, almost trance inducing riff which plays throughout The Lurking Evil and the opening bars of Everything Satan, to the vocals of As Cosmic Forces Rise, which sound familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on who they remind me of.
Instrumental title track Gloria Ad Inferi again brings a shift in atmosphere with more melodic riffs and keys playing a larger part. With a more uplifting feel, this track again feels reminiscent of something else, but I can't quite figure out what.
Throughout the album, my attention is drawn to the guitars and vocals, with the drums and occasional keys very much playing a supporting role. There are plenty of catchy riffs throughout. I find myself enjoying Selvmord's vocals throughout the album but especially so on Engodo. Hearing Selvmord perform vocals in Portuguese elevates them to another level.
The final two tracks, Cavernous Black Spell Of Death Chaos And Destruction and Cavernous Universal Chantic are repeats of earlier songs with a grainier production and with the keys much more prominent in the mix.
Do I like these versions? Yes. They sound more raw, more demo like. I like that. However others who prefer a more polished production may be less enthused by the addition of these two tracks.
Overall an enjoyable and strong offering and well worth a spin! 8/10
Overall an enjoyable and strong offering and well worth a spin! 8/10
A View From The Back Of The Room: Manic Street Preachers & Suede (Alex Swift)
Manic Street Preachers & Suede, Utilita Arena, Cardiff, 04.11.26
At a time when Oasis are selling out stadiums, a co-headline tour with Suede and The Manic Street Preachers seems apt. Alongside Pulp, both bands appealed to a desire for cynical anti-pop that directly contrasted the braggadocios over-optimism of Brit-Pop.
If Definitely Maybe is where you went for escapism, then Dog Man Star and The Holy Bible were where you’d go to remind yourself that you were still being stamped on constantly from on high (Blur, perhaps naively, sought to court both camps).
The former spoke to lad-culture, while the latter two spoke to wallflowers, and outsiders. While they were all tarred, at first, with the flag-waving ‘brit-pop’ label, they reportedly came to despise the term. Theirs was a fiercely militant act, rooted in queer spaces and libraries. It should be no surprise then, that the acts performing tonight comprise two of my favourite 1990’s bands.
Suede (10) bear all the swagger and confidence of a band who have total confidence in their performance and songs. Brett Anderson is a vivacious presence, constantly jumping off stage to interact with the crowd, or leading the audience in a joyous choir of voices.
That being said, as you can probably tell from my score, this was not a perfect experience. To be absolutely clear, Nicky Wire is an icon, an incredible songwriter, and the Manics longevity is in no small part, due to him. All of that being said, he has grown far too confident in his (very limited) ability to sing with later releases.
At a time when Oasis are selling out stadiums, a co-headline tour with Suede and The Manic Street Preachers seems apt. Alongside Pulp, both bands appealed to a desire for cynical anti-pop that directly contrasted the braggadocios over-optimism of Brit-Pop.
If Definitely Maybe is where you went for escapism, then Dog Man Star and The Holy Bible were where you’d go to remind yourself that you were still being stamped on constantly from on high (Blur, perhaps naively, sought to court both camps).
The former spoke to lad-culture, while the latter two spoke to wallflowers, and outsiders. While they were all tarred, at first, with the flag-waving ‘brit-pop’ label, they reportedly came to despise the term. Theirs was a fiercely militant act, rooted in queer spaces and libraries. It should be no surprise then, that the acts performing tonight comprise two of my favourite 1990’s bands.
Suede (10) bear all the swagger and confidence of a band who have total confidence in their performance and songs. Brett Anderson is a vivacious presence, constantly jumping off stage to interact with the crowd, or leading the audience in a joyous choir of voices.
While they barely address the crowd between songs, Animal Nitrate and Trash speak for themselves as yearning anthems about existing on the fringes of society, impervious to the sneering looks of strangers or the stories they tell behind your back.
That being said, Suede’s newer songs are equally affecting. While they are not as well renowned, they might as well be considering how much passion is poured into the performances of tracks like Disintegrate. One of the most moving moments comes with She Still Leads Me On.
That being said, Suede’s newer songs are equally affecting. While they are not as well renowned, they might as well be considering how much passion is poured into the performances of tracks like Disintegrate. One of the most moving moments comes with She Still Leads Me On.
Taken from 2022’s excellent Autofiction record, the song is a moving tribute to Brett Anderson’s mother who died from cancer just as he was forming the band. It’s a piece that speaks to the messy, complicated nature of how love and grief persist in spite of a person’s imperfections.
This, alongside the piano led performance of The Wild One’s makes this half of tonight’s show incredibly emotional. A sentiment that pays off in the closing moments of The Beautiful Ones where we are invited to sing along to the sardonic, yet euphoric chorus of ‘La La La’ which closes the song and the set. A difficult act to follow.
Manic Street Preachers (8) provide a brilliant show. Tearing through anthems like You Stole The Sun From My Heart and A Design For Life, there’s an elated feel to their set. James Dean Bradfield has long been one of my favourite frontmen, and he performs these songs perfectly, his remarkable range eloquently giving life to songs like Everything Must Go.
Manic Street Preachers (8) provide a brilliant show. Tearing through anthems like You Stole The Sun From My Heart and A Design For Life, there’s an elated feel to their set. James Dean Bradfield has long been one of my favourite frontmen, and he performs these songs perfectly, his remarkable range eloquently giving life to songs like Everything Must Go.
While many of these songs are reframed and given new meaning by political ongoings, they bear out as exemplary tributes to Welsh identity. The culture, places and people we all grew up with bleeds into these songs, imbuing every singalong with a sense of friendship in the face of adversity.
That being said, as you can probably tell from my score, this was not a perfect experience. To be absolutely clear, Nicky Wire is an icon, an incredible songwriter, and the Manics longevity is in no small part, due to him. All of that being said, he has grown far too confident in his (very limited) ability to sing with later releases.
For this reason, the decision of the band perform Hiding In Plain Sight from their most recent album - the frankly underwhelming Critical Thinking – leaves many shrugging their shoulders and wondering what they are hearing. This reception, I hope, will be taken as an indication of the bands limits next time they visit Cardiff.
Paying tribute to Richie Edwards, at one point of the show James stands in the centre of the stage and plays the eternally sad This Is Yesterday, before transitioning into the mournful Everlasting.
Paying tribute to Richie Edwards, at one point of the show James stands in the centre of the stage and plays the eternally sad This Is Yesterday, before transitioning into the mournful Everlasting.
“There may only be three of us up here tonight, but we will always be a four-piece” Wire remarks at one point, signalling the permanence with which their fallen bandmate lives in these musicians’ minds. His presence is there in every moment from the visceral Slash And Burn to the spine-tinging Die In The Summertime.
As per tradition, The Manics close of If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next. Its another song that feels increasingly relevant, with each passing injustice, and a reminder to carry the messaging in these lyrics into the world outside of concert arena’s.
As per tradition, The Manics close of If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next. Its another song that feels increasingly relevant, with each passing injustice, and a reminder to carry the messaging in these lyrics into the world outside of concert arena’s.
Indeed, while I began this review by talking about these bands place as anti-pop artists, it’s difficult to ignore the reality that they are now legacy acts. They would be the first to admit that. And yet, in spite of the time that’s passed since both bands sought to defy convention.
There’s something that rings true to people like me about their ability to capture experiences of struggling to find your voice, in some of the most beautiful songs ever committed to paper! Besides, if the beautiful ones get to cash in on their nostalgia, then so do we!
Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Reviews: Joanne Shaw Taylor, Bernie Marsden, Robin Thrower, Eric Steckel (Matt Bladen)
Joanne Shaw Taylor - The Trouble With Love (Journeyman Records)
If the new owners of 007 are looking for the next Bond theme then might I suggest This Is Who I Am from the latest Joanne Shaw Taylor album, The Trouble With Love, the slow burning track originally by Celeste, features Joanne's soulful vocals against plaintive piano stings and sweeping orchestration.
It's a barn burner but one of many on this latest record, from the rollicking title track which features long time friend/collaborator Joe Bonamassa on extra guitar, to the emotional Tired Of Being Right, the gospel blues of Hell Or High Water or the painful What Good Is My Love which features Orianthi, these two guest slots indicative of the records theme of exploring relationships.
Not just romantic ones, but toxic ones on Bad Boy and ones where friendship is at the heart, often offering something stronger than any relationship, as Joanne proves with the showstopping You And Me (Rachel's Song), showing vulnerability, as Never Gonna Please Them has a defiant fire to it.
Every track on The Trouble With Love features those raspy, authentic vocals and guitar wizardary that seamlessly moves between different soundscapes, capturing blues rock toughness, soulful honesty and some atmospheric wonderment on Death Wish.
Each track sonically boosted by Kevin Shirley to add another brilliant record to Joanne Shaw Taylor collection. 8/10
Bernie Marsden - STAGE (Conquest Music)
The fifth and final album in the Bernie Marsden Inspirations Series is STAGE, celebrating the place where this titan of British blues rock was perhaps most at home.
His live performances were always something to behold, especially in South Wales as he became the house artist for Steelhouse Festival for a number of years, with Steelhouse Festival founders, Mikey & Max paying haonge to great man in the linear notes for this album who will always remain a Steelhouse legend.
STAGE combines four live concerts from across three decades, each showcasing Marsden's brilliant voice and guitar playing, but also his warmth and charisma that endeared him to anyone that was in the room with home while he performed.
Opening with an intimate acoustic performance from The Radcliffe Centre, Buckingham in 2008, it's great way to ease yourself into Marsden on stage, intricate playing, soft strings and an audience in awe as he plays Out On The Western Plains a Leadbelly tune that he makes his own.
While closing this side with Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City, the Bobby 'Blue' Bland track that Marsden introduced to David Coverdale and became a Whitesnake staple from then on, stripped back to it's roots, it perhaps hits harder with the additional strings.
The second set is culled from his 2019 slot on the Keeping The Blues Alive At Sea, cruise and features rollicking tracks such as Boss Of The Blues and Reconsider Baby, all with a brass section parping behind him, showcasing the versatility of his playing.
Side C gets old school Blues rock showcase from Notodden Blues Festival, Norway in 1996, Marsden joined by Snowy White, Tony Ashton, David Levy & Henry Spinetti, for an incendiary set that ends with a ferocious version of Fleetwood Mac's Oh Well.
So far there's every facet of Bernie Marsden's playing, the last part of the record coming from Under The Bridge in 2020, the influence of Marsden can be really felt here with Walking In The Shadow Of The Blues form 1979's Lovehunter and a killer guitar duel with Joe Bonamassa on Walking By Myself originally by Jimmy Rogers but more famously by The Gary Moore.
After his untimely passing in 2023, these records serve as documents of a life well lived. With STAGE he's surrounded by friends and fans who are left in no doubt that this is where Bernie Marsden belongs. 8/10
Robin Trower - Shine (Provogue Records)
There are living legends in this industry and then there are musicians like Robin Trower, at 81 years old he's still creating and writing and touring, his late career creativity just as important to him as those early days with Procol Harum and 1974's Bridge Of Sighs.
As I said, as Trower shifted into legendary status, he didn't take the easy way out and regurgitate those early songs that are rock radio staples, instead he chose to keep writing and performing as in his words: “I think you’ve either got to keep pushing – or give up.”
There's no fear of giving up, Trower is a man who will be eeking emotion out of that Stratocaster until the very end, playing with all the heart and soul as he did in his younger years. Across nearly thirty records, he's collaborated with numerous artists, most recently Sari Schorr.
His own volumes of work is frightening, eight albums in ten years, and no signs of slowing down yet as Shine continues that creative pace as a record that is about the struggle of now but tried not to be to maudlin, instead Trower, wants to give hope.
There's a feeling if hope that runs through the record, it's funky, bluesy and features that oh so memorable guitar sound of Trower's with Live Your Time, The Missing Piece, and the moody Driving Through all featuring the best guitar work for my money as Trower takes guitar and bass on this record.
Chris Taggart's drums anchors the grooves and Richard Watts proves to be the best vocal foil for Trower's playing, though Jess Hayes does a great job on Truth, joining this well established band easily on more guitar driven bluesing from this definition of a legend. 8/10
Eric Steckel - Sandstorm (SPV)
Eric Steckel does things the old way, inspired by Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, Rory Gallagher Stevie Ray Vaughan or any act that defines authentic, organic blues rock, without the need for studio tricks, cinematic soundscapes and the like, just emotional soulful vocals and powerhouse guitar playing.
Having played in over 30 countries, the 23 year veteran is no young hotshot, though he is only 34, he's been storming stages for a long while now with something described as blues metal, a fierce concoction of heavy riffs he's been lauded as one of the best blues guitarists in the world and his new album Sandstorm is hell of a lot of fun for blues rock fans.
Packed with meaty riffs, tracks such as The Other Guy and What I Want To Believe have a macho heavy metal ethos to them, the latter falling into some Alter Bridge grooves. Steckel can also capture the pure spirirt of the blues with the Blues For The Lonely and the smokey slinking of Empty Promises, here channeling the dram and staging of Gary Moore.
Eric has a pretty high pedigree having played with/in support of Ray Charles, B.B King and John Mayall and that just seeps through every note of Sandstorm, and while he's a new name to me, I'm going to be deep diving into the catalogue of Eric Steckel on the back of how darn good this album is. 9/10
Reviews: Cult Of Luna, The Machine, Humulus, Gradience (Spike)
Cult Of Luna – In The Shadow Of Your Shadow (Metal Blade Records)
There are bands that write heavy riffs, and then there are bands that construct entire weather systems. For over a quarter of a century, Sweden’s Cult Of Luna have stood as undisputed titans of post-metal, transforming crushing atmospheric sludge from an abrasive niche into an expansive, cinematic art form.
That friction resolves somewhat on A Witness and White Noise, which demonstrate what the band is capable of when they let a groove simmer before pulling the pin, while the closer Grimey Potential fittingly sums up the entire experience in its title: filthy, fascinating, and loaded with future promise.
Gradience haven't delivered a flawless masterpiece with Anomaly, but they’ve delivered something far rarer: an album that genuinely refuses to sound like anyone else on the current metal roster. The vision is daring, the riffs are lethal, and the intent is pure fire. If they can tighten up the transitions and let their vocal flows get just as feral and unhinged as their rhythm section on album number two, they are going to be unstoppable.
There are bands that write heavy riffs, and then there are bands that construct entire weather systems. For over a quarter of a century, Sweden’s Cult Of Luna have stood as undisputed titans of post-metal, transforming crushing atmospheric sludge from an abrasive niche into an expansive, cinematic art form.
Following on from the monolithic triumphs of 2019’s A Dawn To Fear and 2022’s The Long Road North, their ninth full-length studio outing, In The Shadow Of Your Shadow, arrives with the imposing gravity of a glacier grinding down a mountainside. It is an immense, nine-track voyage that explores the suffocating weight of grief, isolation, and psychological fracture, delivered with the terrifying authority only Cult Of Luna can command.
What has always set the Umeå collective apart is their mastery of tectonic pacing. In the hands of lesser acts, long-form post-metal compositions can easily devolve into sluggish repetition. Here, Johannes Persson and company understand that silence and low-frequency murmur are just as lethal as maximum volume. The record opens with the sprawling ten-minute title track, In The Shadow Of Your Shadow, which creeps into view on eerie, ambient synthesizer pulses and fragile guitar arpeggios before the tidal wave breaks.
What has always set the Umeå collective apart is their mastery of tectonic pacing. In the hands of lesser acts, long-form post-metal compositions can easily devolve into sluggish repetition. Here, Johannes Persson and company understand that silence and low-frequency murmur are just as lethal as maximum volume. The record opens with the sprawling ten-minute title track, In The Shadow Of Your Shadow, which creeps into view on eerie, ambient synthesizer pulses and fragile guitar arpeggios before the tidal wave breaks.
When the full ensemble drops, anchored by the cavernous dual-drum battery of Thomas Hedlund and Christian Augustin, the low-end pressure feels physical enough to rearrange your internal organs. Persson’s throat-tearing roars sound as raw, impassioned, and feral as they did twenty years ago, bellowing out into a frozen, indifferent void.
The album wastes no time delivering its first major gut-punch with Sadness Will Reign, featuring Gojira's Joe Duplantier. On paper, putting Duplantier and Persson in the same vocal booth sounds like an apocalyptic prospect, and on tape, it completely delivers.
The album wastes no time delivering its first major gut-punch with Sadness Will Reign, featuring Gojira's Joe Duplantier. On paper, putting Duplantier and Persson in the same vocal booth sounds like an apocalyptic prospect, and on tape, it completely delivers.
Duplantier’s scraping, rhythmic roar interlocks seamlessly with Persson’s subterranean bark over an unyielding, syncopated groove that rattles with industrial menace. It avoids the trap of feeling like a tacked-on guest spot; instead, Duplantier is swallowed whole into the band's murky architecture, adding an abrasive, mechanical friction to the arrangement.
From there, the record moves through shifting dynamic terrain. Landby pulls back into cold, brooding introspection, letting delicate piano motifs from Kristian Karlsson simmer beneath swelling distortion before exploding into Breach, a furious, fast-paced assault driven by frantic blast beats and scorching tremolo leads.
From there, the record moves through shifting dynamic terrain. Landby pulls back into cold, brooding introspection, letting delicate piano motifs from Kristian Karlsson simmer beneath swelling distortion before exploding into Breach, a furious, fast-paced assault driven by frantic blast beats and scorching tremolo leads.
The transition into The Rift and A Way Back showcases their supreme control over dynamic tension, layering ambient synth drones and mournful brass flourishes that give the crushing crescendos an almost tragic grandeur.
The centrepiece collaboration arrives with One More Day, enlisting the unmistakable presence of David Eugene Edwards (Wovenhand, 16 Horsepower). Edwards’ apocalyptic, dusty Appalachian sermonizing feels tailor-made for Cult Of Luna’s bleak Nordic terrain.
The centrepiece collaboration arrives with One More Day, enlisting the unmistakable presence of David Eugene Edwards (Wovenhand, 16 Horsepower). Edwards’ apocalyptic, dusty Appalachian sermonizing feels tailor-made for Cult Of Luna’s bleak Nordic terrain.
As his trembling, prophetic croon hovers over sparse acoustic strumming and deep synth swells, the track takes on the terrifying aura of a southern gothic exorcism before erupting into a suffocating, funeral-doom dirge. It is easily one of the most haunting pieces of music the collective has ever recorded.
As the record navigates its final chapters, the darkness only deepens. From Grey To Black grinds forward on a lurching, neck-snapping sludge groove that recalls the raw, unpolished hostility of their Somewhere Along the Highway era, stripping away cinematic excess in favour of pure, iron-plated bludgeon.
As the record navigates its final chapters, the darkness only deepens. From Grey To Black grinds forward on a lurching, neck-snapping sludge groove that recalls the raw, unpolished hostility of their Somewhere Along the Highway era, stripping away cinematic excess in favour of pure, iron-plated bludgeon.
Closing out with the sprawling, eleven-minute epic Burial, the band brings the journey home on a wave of majestic, heart-wrenching catharsis. Slowly shedding its monstrous guitar walls, the track dissipates into solitary piano chords and drifting tape hiss, leaving you standing in the cold quiet long after the sound has ceased.
In The Shadow Of Your Shadow does not offer easy comfort or neat resolutions. It is a demanding, emotionally exhausting, and staggeringly heavy record from a band operating at the undisputed summit of their craft. While so many of their peers have either mellowed with age or run out of road, Cult Of Luna continue to dig deeper into the dark, carving out monuments of tone and feeling that will stand for decades.
In The Shadow Of Your Shadow does not offer easy comfort or neat resolutions. It is a demanding, emotionally exhausting, and staggeringly heavy record from a band operating at the undisputed summit of their craft. While so many of their peers have either mellowed with age or run out of road, Cult Of Luna continue to dig deeper into the dark, carving out monuments of tone and feeling that will stand for decades.
An absolute masterpiece of modern heavy music. 9/10
The Machine – Another Sun (Awe Records / Stickman Records / Blues Funeral Recordings)
There’s a very distinct quality to records made in an artist’s own bespoke environment. When you don't have a ticking studio clock eating into your budget, and you aren't forced to compromise with an engineer who doesn't understand your low-end philosophy, magic happens.
The Machine – Another Sun (Awe Records / Stickman Records / Blues Funeral Recordings)
There’s a very distinct quality to records made in an artist’s own bespoke environment. When you don't have a ticking studio clock eating into your budget, and you aren't forced to compromise with an engineer who doesn't understand your low-end philosophy, magic happens.
Dutch heavy psych and space-rock veterans The Machine have spent nearly two decades operating as one of mainland Europe’s absolute crown jewels in the underground scene. But for their eighth full-length, Another Sun, guitarist and vocalist David Eering went one step further: he literally designed and built Evolver Studio in Dordrecht with his own hands. The result is a five-track, forty-three-minute masterclass in live-room chemistry that sounds completely untamed, physical, and drenched in celestial fuzz.
Rather than multitracking every instrument to a sterile digital grid, The Machine took an uncompromising old-school approach inspired by the raw, room-mic philosophy of the late Steve Albini. David Eering, bassist Chris Both, and drummer Klaas Dijkstra stood in the exact same room, plugged in, and tracked the lion's share of these massive compositions live together.
Rather than multitracking every instrument to a sterile digital grid, The Machine took an uncompromising old-school approach inspired by the raw, room-mic philosophy of the late Steve Albini. David Eering, bassist Chris Both, and drummer Klaas Dijkstra stood in the exact same room, plugged in, and tracked the lion's share of these massive compositions live together.
You can feel the air shifting around the amplifiers. The drums have a cavernous, natural resonance, the bass rumbles with thick, iron-plated weight, and Eering’s fuzz pedals hit with that physical punch that only happens when three musicians are locking eyes and riding the groove in real time.
The album opens with Drop/See, an eight-minute beast that wastes zero time showing off what this newly energized lineup is capable of. Starting with patient, swirling space-rock textures, the track suddenly erupts into an aggressive, frenzied drive that borders on murky sludge and heavy post-doom.
The album opens with Drop/See, an eight-minute beast that wastes zero time showing off what this newly energized lineup is capable of. Starting with patient, swirling space-rock textures, the track suddenly erupts into an aggressive, frenzied drive that borders on murky sludge and heavy post-doom.
What keeps it fascinating is that the band seems completely happy to let the vehicle slide around on the road, there’s an unhinged, screeching edge to the guitar soloing that trades clean precision for pure white-knuckle adrenaline, anchored by Eering's surprisingly soaring, stadium-sized vocal delivery.
It rolls seamlessly into Evolver, a seven-minute track fittingly named after the studio that birthed it. Here, the trio marries driving desert-rock rhythms with kosmische synthesizers and bubbling theremin lines. Eering is a one-man sonic alchemist throughout this record, layering sitar, synths, and percussion into the mix, yet none of these experimental flourishes clutter the soundstage. It feels like a natural extension of the power trio format, pushing their classic Solar Corona DNA into far darker, more progressive waters.
The shortest piece on the release, In Search Of Yellow, provides arguably the most dramatic dynamic contrast. Clocking in at five and a half minutes, it opens up a breathtaking gulf between fragile, ambient psych contemplation and crushing walls of distorted noise. Both's bass tone is remarkably fluid here, carving out deep melodic trenches that give Dijkstra's intricate, rolling cymbal work room to breathe.
Then come the twin eleven-minute pillars that make up the back half of the record: Swallow The Sun and Echo Through.
It rolls seamlessly into Evolver, a seven-minute track fittingly named after the studio that birthed it. Here, the trio marries driving desert-rock rhythms with kosmische synthesizers and bubbling theremin lines. Eering is a one-man sonic alchemist throughout this record, layering sitar, synths, and percussion into the mix, yet none of these experimental flourishes clutter the soundstage. It feels like a natural extension of the power trio format, pushing their classic Solar Corona DNA into far darker, more progressive waters.
The shortest piece on the release, In Search Of Yellow, provides arguably the most dramatic dynamic contrast. Clocking in at five and a half minutes, it opens up a breathtaking gulf between fragile, ambient psych contemplation and crushing walls of distorted noise. Both's bass tone is remarkably fluid here, carving out deep melodic trenches that give Dijkstra's intricate, rolling cymbal work room to breathe.
Then come the twin eleven-minute pillars that make up the back half of the record: Swallow The Sun and Echo Through.
On Swallow The Sun, The Machine lock into a tight, hypnotic, and almost ritualistic groove that refuses to let you go. It’s got that majestic, slow-burning heft that fans of Elder or King Buffalo will immediately gravitate toward, but delivered with a gritty, 90s grunge bite that keeps the music rooted firmly in the mud.
By the time Echo Through unfolds its sprawling, abstract ambient rock melodies and descends into a colossal, fuzz-drenched crescendo, you feel like you’ve been hauled through an entire galaxy and dropped back down to earth.
Another Sun is an absolute triumph from a band operating with total creative freedom. By marrying Albini-style live room recording with expansive, interstellar songwriting, The Machine have crafted one of the finest, most vital heavy psych albums of their career. An essential listen for anyone who likes their riffs served hot, loud, and straight from the floorboards. 9/10
Humulus – Smuggler's Cave (Ripple Music)
When fellow writer and trusted set of ears Rich Piva drops a recommendation on your desk, you take notice.
Another Sun is an absolute triumph from a band operating with total creative freedom. By marrying Albini-style live room recording with expansive, interstellar songwriting, The Machine have crafted one of the finest, most vital heavy psych albums of their career. An essential listen for anyone who likes their riffs served hot, loud, and straight from the floorboards. 9/10
Humulus – Smuggler's Cave (Ripple Music)
When fellow writer and trusted set of ears Rich Piva drops a recommendation on your desk, you take notice.
When that tip comes stamped with the logo of Ripple Music, one of his absolute go-to imprints for top-shelf heavy rock, you can pretty much guarantee you’re in safe hands. Rich has steered me right more times than I care to count, and with Smuggler's Cave, the fifth full-length outing from Italian power trio Humulus, he’s hit the bullseye yet again.
Formed in Brescia back in 2009, Humulus spent their formative years cutting their teeth on the burly, beer-soaked desert crunch of Kyuss, Orange Goblin, and Karma to Burn. But over fifteen years and several lineup evolutions, they’ve mutated into something far more dynamic, nimble, and psychedelic.
Formed in Brescia back in 2009, Humulus spent their formative years cutting their teeth on the burly, beer-soaked desert crunch of Kyuss, Orange Goblin, and Karma to Burn. But over fifteen years and several lineup evolutions, they’ve mutated into something far more dynamic, nimble, and psychedelic.
Arriving on Ripple Music as their second record featuring vocalist and guitarist Thomas Mascheroni (and the debut of new bassist Fabio Giacomini alongside sole founding drummer Massimiliano Boventi), Smuggler's Cave is easily their most focused, volcanic, and rewarding statement to date.
What makes this record land with such tremendous certainty is how effortlessly it bridges thunderous stoner crunch with vast, trippy atmosphere. Tracked out of marathon rehearsal jams between relentless European tours with acts like Colour Haze and Monkey3, these seven songs have that physical, live-room spark where every transition feels earned rather than programmed. Mascheroni’s vocal performance is a revelation throughout: clean, melodic, and razor-sharp, soaring right over the fuzz rather than getting swallowed by the dirt.
The album hits the ground running with Standing In The Sun, locking into a muscular groove before spilling into lead single Rise And Fall. Right away, you get unmistakable, glorious Lowrider and Dozer vibes, the crash cymbals wash out across the stereo field as an atmospheric backdrop, the kick drum punctuates the forward momentum with physical punch, and Mascheroni’s vocals float overhead with effortless swagger. It’s got that golden Scandinavian desert-rock bite (think Truckfighters or Greenleaf) channelled through an Italian lens, driven by big, rolling riffs that lodge in your head instantly.
The band’s narrative ambitions take centre stage across the record’s expansive midsection. The music was forged first, with the lyrics arriving later as an evocative journey through haunted forests, cemetery visions, and damned souls.
What makes this record land with such tremendous certainty is how effortlessly it bridges thunderous stoner crunch with vast, trippy atmosphere. Tracked out of marathon rehearsal jams between relentless European tours with acts like Colour Haze and Monkey3, these seven songs have that physical, live-room spark where every transition feels earned rather than programmed. Mascheroni’s vocal performance is a revelation throughout: clean, melodic, and razor-sharp, soaring right over the fuzz rather than getting swallowed by the dirt.
The album hits the ground running with Standing In The Sun, locking into a muscular groove before spilling into lead single Rise And Fall. Right away, you get unmistakable, glorious Lowrider and Dozer vibes, the crash cymbals wash out across the stereo field as an atmospheric backdrop, the kick drum punctuates the forward momentum with physical punch, and Mascheroni’s vocals float overhead with effortless swagger. It’s got that golden Scandinavian desert-rock bite (think Truckfighters or Greenleaf) channelled through an Italian lens, driven by big, rolling riffs that lodge in your head instantly.
The band’s narrative ambitions take centre stage across the record’s expansive midsection. The music was forged first, with the lyrics arriving later as an evocative journey through haunted forests, cemetery visions, and damned souls.
Pines provides a moody, dark-timbered build that explodes into thick fuzz, clearing the runway for the colossal title track, Smuggler's Cave. Stretching out with hypnotic patience, the title cut serves as the thematic spine of the whole record, moving between mysterious, brooding passages and roaring, volcanic climaxes that rattle right through the floorboards.
Down the back stretch, the trio keeps the electricity humming. Cemetery Vision leans into haunting, introspective psychedelia before Blue Wizard brings back the swaggering, head-nodding groove. Closing out with the heavy, doom-dappled stomp of Cursed Man, you’re left with the distinct impression of a band operating at the absolute peak of their creative and technical confidence.
Rich Piva called this one early, and he was dead on the money. Smuggler's Cave is a cracking, fuzz-drenched triumph from start to finish, rich in melody, packed with crushing riffs, and drenched in atmospheric smoke.
Down the back stretch, the trio keeps the electricity humming. Cemetery Vision leans into haunting, introspective psychedelia before Blue Wizard brings back the swaggering, head-nodding groove. Closing out with the heavy, doom-dappled stomp of Cursed Man, you’re left with the distinct impression of a band operating at the absolute peak of their creative and technical confidence.
Rich Piva called this one early, and he was dead on the money. Smuggler's Cave is a cracking, fuzz-drenched triumph from start to finish, rich in melody, packed with crushing riffs, and drenched in atmospheric smoke.
If you worship at the altar of classic desert rock and modern heavy psych, this belongs on your turntable immediately. 9/10
Gradience – Anomaly (Metal Blade Records)
When a debut album lands stamped with the Metal Blade logo alongside a premise that attempts to weld blackened death metal, trap beats, UK rap cadences, and post-rock textures into a singular weapon, your curiosity is inevitably going to spike. Danish outfit Gradience (spearheaded by vocalist Gavin Mistry and guitarist/vocalist Jakob Lærke Harris) clearly didn’t get the memo that crossing underground subcultures is supposed to be done politely.
Gradience – Anomaly (Metal Blade Records)
When a debut album lands stamped with the Metal Blade logo alongside a premise that attempts to weld blackened death metal, trap beats, UK rap cadences, and post-rock textures into a singular weapon, your curiosity is inevitably going to spike. Danish outfit Gradience (spearheaded by vocalist Gavin Mistry and guitarist/vocalist Jakob Lærke Harris) clearly didn’t get the memo that crossing underground subcultures is supposed to be done politely.
Anomaly plays like two musicians walked into a room, looked at the sacred walls separating modern heavy subgenres, and decided knocking them down with a sledgehammer was far more entertaining. There is boundless ambition, a mountain of raw originality, and a clear vision at play, even if the final execution leaves you wishing the puzzle pieces clicked together with just a touch more finesse.
Reading through the critical chatter surrounding this release, you can see why it divides opinion so sharply. Some critics have hailed them as bastardised geniuses rewriting crossover rulebooks, while others have pointed out the dizzying whiplash of their genre-hopping.
Reading through the critical chatter surrounding this release, you can see why it divides opinion so sharply. Some critics have hailed them as bastardised geniuses rewriting crossover rulebooks, while others have pointed out the dizzying whiplash of their genre-hopping.
For my money, the truth sits squarely in the middle. The creative courage on display across these eleven tracks is undeniable, but it occasionally feels like you’re listening to three brilliant, completely separate ideas fighting for control of the steering wheel at ninety miles an hour.
The record kicks the door down with Vermin, and it wastes zero time setting its chaotic terms. After barely a second of warning, blistering blast beats and blackened shrieks collide head-on with syncopated trap cadences. It’s abrasive, jarring, and completely disorienting.
The record kicks the door down with Vermin, and it wastes zero time setting its chaotic terms. After barely a second of warning, blistering blast beats and blackened shrieks collide head-on with syncopated trap cadences. It’s abrasive, jarring, and completely disorienting.
It rolls straight into Blame Me, where Swedish melodic death metal riffs smash against bouncy nu-metal bounce and unexpected, soaring clean vocal hooks. When the transitions work, they hit with remarkable force; when they stumble, the gear shifts can pull you right out of the groove.
Where Gradience hit their absolute stride is on Agony. Kicking off with filthy, sludge-laden down-tuning, the track suddenly takes a wild left turn into four-on-the-floor dance beats, pulsating synths, and rapid-fire rapping before those disgusting guitars come roaring back in. It’s totally unhinged, completely unpredictable, and arguably the most cohesive statement on the album because they commit to the madness with total conviction.
Tracks like Master To The Slave, Stains, and Deathwish keep that creative blender spinning. There are moments of genuine sonic brilliance here, crushing, room-clearing breakdowns followed immediately by atmospheric, shoegaze-adjacent breathers.
Where Gradience hit their absolute stride is on Agony. Kicking off with filthy, sludge-laden down-tuning, the track suddenly takes a wild left turn into four-on-the-floor dance beats, pulsating synths, and rapid-fire rapping before those disgusting guitars come roaring back in. It’s totally unhinged, completely unpredictable, and arguably the most cohesive statement on the album because they commit to the madness with total conviction.
Tracks like Master To The Slave, Stains, and Deathwish keep that creative blender spinning. There are moments of genuine sonic brilliance here, crushing, room-clearing breakdowns followed immediately by atmospheric, shoegaze-adjacent breathers.
The nagging issue across the record's runtime often comes down to the polish of the delivery. While the instrumentation mutates wildly from black metal frost to street-level grit, the rap flows occasionally sound a bit too restrained and safe compared to the sheer sonic violence detonating around them.
That friction resolves somewhat on A Witness and White Noise, which demonstrate what the band is capable of when they let a groove simmer before pulling the pin, while the closer Grimey Potential fittingly sums up the entire experience in its title: filthy, fascinating, and loaded with future promise.
Gradience haven't delivered a flawless masterpiece with Anomaly, but they’ve delivered something far rarer: an album that genuinely refuses to sound like anyone else on the current metal roster. The vision is daring, the riffs are lethal, and the intent is pure fire. If they can tighten up the transitions and let their vocal flows get just as feral and unhinged as their rhythm section on album number two, they are going to be unstoppable.
A fascinating, boundary-stretching. 7/10
Tuesday, 10 November 2026
Reviews: Nickelback, Asomvel, Soho Dukes, Shogun Mojo (Matt Bladen)
Nickelback - Everything Under The Sun (Virgin Media Group)
For a band everyone supposedly hates, Nickelback have released ten studio albums, play sell out arena tours, have received multiple GRAMMY® Award nominations, alongside major international awards, tens of millions of plays and induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Hell they've even got a Netflix documentary about them which brought a renewed interest from those that may only know them from How U Remind Me or Rockstar, it does seem to me at least, someone who has always been a fan of the band, that Nickelback have started to be liked deliberately rather than ironically.
Which I'm all for as they write bangers, yeah their radio ballads are often saccharine and schmaltzy, but they feature on most wedding play list and the juxtaposition between those and the rockier side of the band is still a little odd at times, but that's part of their charm.
They've got songs your mum would listen to, songs your sister can dance to and songs you can bang your head to and they open this eleventh album with two of them, Rattle The Cage features John 5 on guitar and shows that Nickelback can get heavy, these towering riffs carrying into Bones For The Crows.
Then it's the first bit of introspection with the nostalgic I Already Know, a radio cuts for sure made for singing along to, while Leave Me Behind, If I Don't Go and Make Me Love You both are full of storytelling and the blue collar balladry that Nickelback have always done so well and taken up the charts, however all groups together it does give the record a lull in the middle.
The riffs return for Chasin' Famous but they quickly disappear again shortly after, it means that Everything Under The Sun is enjoyable if you're a fan of the slower, more emotional side of the band but if you're here looking for heavy rock then I'd suggest diving back into their early work as it seems like their going through the motions.
No matter my thoughts though they're going to pack every date on their upcoming tour and bucket loads of this record. 6/10
Asomvel - Set Your World On Fire (Self Released)
There's a temptation when reviewing Yorkshire four piece Asomvel to just say "sounds like Motorhead" and leave it that, but that would be lazy journalism and it would be inaccurate. Asomvel do sound like Motorhead, but they also have musical similarities to AC/DC, Status Quo and any of the 70's dinosaur rockers that played their music through huge speaker stacks, at excessive volume and clad in dirty leather jackets.
Asomvel are a rock n roll brotherhood, a family, formed by vocalist Jay-Jay Winter and his guitarist brother Lenny Robinson, after Jay-Jay's passing Lenny was joined by his sons Ralph on bass/vocals and Stel on guitar to carry on the legacy of Asomvel and bring volume to the UK rock scene. This current line up, including Ryan Thackwray on drums has been in place since 2024's Born To Rock N Roll and on the back of that record they have been hitting stages across the UK and Europe, playing alongside the likes of Airborne and at numerous festivals.
Their music is built for the road hogs they are, honed for maximum impact this is pure distilled rock n roll made to be played live, from the moment King Of The World erupts from the stereo speakers, we're on a rampage of raw rocking, the thunderous drums, rampant bass, the searing guitar riffs and the snarled vocals.
They're a band who stick to the idea of "don't bore us get to the chorus" tracks such as Lone Wolf, I'm Back From The Dead, Blood Runs Cold all rely on repetition that is made for crowds to shout back. Though Asomvel aren't just dealers of anthems they show their diversity with the bluesy title track, the dramatic, politically charged World At War and the joyous bounce of If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old.
Rock n roll played at high speed and high volume, Asomvel will be on a stage near you soon bashing out these tunes to Set The World On Fire. 7/10
Soho Dukes - Don't Spare The Horses (Duchess Records)
On the back of their album Nighthawks, Acrobats And Everything Under The Moon, Soho Dukes show off the band they really are with their live album Don't Spare The Horses.
The Dukes thrive on the live stage from the vaudeville intro into the punky rock n roll of Home Sweet Camden Town, this a band who live and breathe the London scene so with a hometown audience hanging on every word, Soho Dukes deliver a rollicking good time at Esquires in Bedford.
Consisting of a 13 song set drawn from three albums, this is Soho Dukes in their natural habitat, opening for The Quireboys, they share a lot of similarities to their compatriots, theres influences from Mott The Hoople and The Faces as boogie woogie piano meets bluesy guitars and clever lyrics on tracks such as Elaine.
Their friendship with The Quireboys is easy to see, mainly as they recently supported them on their tour too, but when Spike joins them for A Stone's Throw, it's obvious that everyone is having a ball and you do feel a little left out for missing out the first time, however Don't Spare The Horses takes right into the front row of a Soho Dukes show! 8/10
Shogun Mojo - Shogun Mojo (Frontiers Music Srl)
Another Frontiers collaboration, this time it's called Shogun Mojo and features Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer and Dan Reed of Dan Reed Network and it opens with some funk rock, Dan doing a lot of what he's good at with Funk Party, his vocals still as unique as they've always been.
Musically Shogun Mojo is a continuation of the funk rock sound Dan and his Network helped perfect, back in the late 70's and early 80's, with drummer Robert Ikiz and bassist Bengt Jonasson handling the groove and Dan up front you may feel that Thayer may be a little left out.
However with tracks such as Gonna Raise Hell, that overspill from having played I Was Made For Loving You and Strutter so many times lingers, Thayer more than handles the funk with waka waka riffs and a solo on every track even an absolutely horrendous version of In The Air Tonight (yeah that one), in a funk rock style
How much you enjoy this album, depends on how much you like Dan Reed Network, for me the cover is unforgivable but the rest of the album is just ok analog funk rock, which doesn't do much more than anything else involving Reed. 5/10
For a band everyone supposedly hates, Nickelback have released ten studio albums, play sell out arena tours, have received multiple GRAMMY® Award nominations, alongside major international awards, tens of millions of plays and induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Hell they've even got a Netflix documentary about them which brought a renewed interest from those that may only know them from How U Remind Me or Rockstar, it does seem to me at least, someone who has always been a fan of the band, that Nickelback have started to be liked deliberately rather than ironically.
Which I'm all for as they write bangers, yeah their radio ballads are often saccharine and schmaltzy, but they feature on most wedding play list and the juxtaposition between those and the rockier side of the band is still a little odd at times, but that's part of their charm.
They've got songs your mum would listen to, songs your sister can dance to and songs you can bang your head to and they open this eleventh album with two of them, Rattle The Cage features John 5 on guitar and shows that Nickelback can get heavy, these towering riffs carrying into Bones For The Crows.
Then it's the first bit of introspection with the nostalgic I Already Know, a radio cuts for sure made for singing along to, while Leave Me Behind, If I Don't Go and Make Me Love You both are full of storytelling and the blue collar balladry that Nickelback have always done so well and taken up the charts, however all groups together it does give the record a lull in the middle.
The riffs return for Chasin' Famous but they quickly disappear again shortly after, it means that Everything Under The Sun is enjoyable if you're a fan of the slower, more emotional side of the band but if you're here looking for heavy rock then I'd suggest diving back into their early work as it seems like their going through the motions.
No matter my thoughts though they're going to pack every date on their upcoming tour and bucket loads of this record. 6/10
Asomvel - Set Your World On Fire (Self Released)
There's a temptation when reviewing Yorkshire four piece Asomvel to just say "sounds like Motorhead" and leave it that, but that would be lazy journalism and it would be inaccurate. Asomvel do sound like Motorhead, but they also have musical similarities to AC/DC, Status Quo and any of the 70's dinosaur rockers that played their music through huge speaker stacks, at excessive volume and clad in dirty leather jackets.
Asomvel are a rock n roll brotherhood, a family, formed by vocalist Jay-Jay Winter and his guitarist brother Lenny Robinson, after Jay-Jay's passing Lenny was joined by his sons Ralph on bass/vocals and Stel on guitar to carry on the legacy of Asomvel and bring volume to the UK rock scene. This current line up, including Ryan Thackwray on drums has been in place since 2024's Born To Rock N Roll and on the back of that record they have been hitting stages across the UK and Europe, playing alongside the likes of Airborne and at numerous festivals.
Their music is built for the road hogs they are, honed for maximum impact this is pure distilled rock n roll made to be played live, from the moment King Of The World erupts from the stereo speakers, we're on a rampage of raw rocking, the thunderous drums, rampant bass, the searing guitar riffs and the snarled vocals.
They're a band who stick to the idea of "don't bore us get to the chorus" tracks such as Lone Wolf, I'm Back From The Dead, Blood Runs Cold all rely on repetition that is made for crowds to shout back. Though Asomvel aren't just dealers of anthems they show their diversity with the bluesy title track, the dramatic, politically charged World At War and the joyous bounce of If It's Too Loud, You're Too Old.
Rock n roll played at high speed and high volume, Asomvel will be on a stage near you soon bashing out these tunes to Set The World On Fire. 7/10
Soho Dukes - Don't Spare The Horses (Duchess Records)
On the back of their album Nighthawks, Acrobats And Everything Under The Moon, Soho Dukes show off the band they really are with their live album Don't Spare The Horses.
The Dukes thrive on the live stage from the vaudeville intro into the punky rock n roll of Home Sweet Camden Town, this a band who live and breathe the London scene so with a hometown audience hanging on every word, Soho Dukes deliver a rollicking good time at Esquires in Bedford.
Consisting of a 13 song set drawn from three albums, this is Soho Dukes in their natural habitat, opening for The Quireboys, they share a lot of similarities to their compatriots, theres influences from Mott The Hoople and The Faces as boogie woogie piano meets bluesy guitars and clever lyrics on tracks such as Elaine.
Their friendship with The Quireboys is easy to see, mainly as they recently supported them on their tour too, but when Spike joins them for A Stone's Throw, it's obvious that everyone is having a ball and you do feel a little left out for missing out the first time, however Don't Spare The Horses takes right into the front row of a Soho Dukes show! 8/10
Shogun Mojo - Shogun Mojo (Frontiers Music Srl)
Another Frontiers collaboration, this time it's called Shogun Mojo and features Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer and Dan Reed of Dan Reed Network and it opens with some funk rock, Dan doing a lot of what he's good at with Funk Party, his vocals still as unique as they've always been.
Musically Shogun Mojo is a continuation of the funk rock sound Dan and his Network helped perfect, back in the late 70's and early 80's, with drummer Robert Ikiz and bassist Bengt Jonasson handling the groove and Dan up front you may feel that Thayer may be a little left out.
However with tracks such as Gonna Raise Hell, that overspill from having played I Was Made For Loving You and Strutter so many times lingers, Thayer more than handles the funk with waka waka riffs and a solo on every track even an absolutely horrendous version of In The Air Tonight (yeah that one), in a funk rock style
How much you enjoy this album, depends on how much you like Dan Reed Network, for me the cover is unforgivable but the rest of the album is just ok analog funk rock, which doesn't do much more than anything else involving Reed. 5/10
Reviews: Valley Of The Sun, Midnight, Mr Bison, Lockslip (Spike & Keith Boswell)
Valley Of The Sun – The Blacklight Sessions (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Spike]
There are bands that spend their entire careers overthinking every single transition, chasing whatever production trend is sweeping the internet this week. And then there are bands like Ohio’s Valley Of The Sun.
There are bands that spend their entire careers overthinking every single transition, chasing whatever production trend is sweeping the internet this week. And then there are bands like Ohio’s Valley Of The Sun.
Ever since 2019’s Old Gods hooked listeners with its sun-baked stoner riffs and 2022’s The Chariot raised the bar for midwestern heavy rock, frontman and guitarist Ryan Ferrier has known exactly what makes this power trio tick.
Now landing on the ever-reliable Heavy Psych Sounds roster, their sixth studio album, The Blacklight Sessions, takes things right back to their foundational roots: warm fuzz, blues-soaked jamming, psychedelic head-trips, and massive, infectious desert-rock grooves. It is a lean, confident six-track record that does away with pretence, pure, unadulterated "all killer, no filler" heavy rock.
What works so well from the off is their decision to let the instrumentation establish the terrain before a single vocal is uttered. Opener The Whiskey Elf is a full-throttle instrumental statement of intent.
What works so well from the off is their decision to let the instrumentation establish the terrain before a single vocal is uttered. Opener The Whiskey Elf is a full-throttle instrumental statement of intent.
The guitars ring out with that distinctive, tube-warmed grit, locking into a muscular rhythm with bassist Chris Sweeney and drummer Johnny Kathman. It grabs your attention immediately, proving that Valley Of The Sun don't need to lean on lyrical hooks to pull you in; their physical power and swagger do all the heavy lifting.
From there, the throttle stays pinned to the floor on Low Not Slow. Ferrier steps up to the mic, and his unmistakable, soulful roar cuts right through the fuzz with stadium-sized authority.
From there, the throttle stays pinned to the floor on Low Not Slow. Ferrier steps up to the mic, and his unmistakable, soulful roar cuts right through the fuzz with stadium-sized authority.
Anchored by a stomping, addictive riff and even throwing in some well-placed cowbell to keep the groove swinging, it’s the kind of high-octane rocker that begs to be blasted through a car stereo with the windows wide open. It captures that effortless, head-nodding bounce that made cuts like Old Gods instant staples of their live sets.
The centrepiece of the record arrives with The Long Song, and as the blunt title suggests, it stretches out past the ten-minute mark. Rather than turning into an aimless noodling session, it’s a masterclass in dynamic patience. It begins in a moody, somewhat melancholic lull before detonating around the quarter mark into a colossal, chugging groove.
The centrepiece of the record arrives with The Long Song, and as the blunt title suggests, it stretches out past the ten-minute mark. Rather than turning into an aimless noodling session, it’s a masterclass in dynamic patience. It begins in a moody, somewhat melancholic lull before detonating around the quarter mark into a colossal, chugging groove.
The layered guitars swirl and erupt across the middle section, creating an intoxicating wall of noise that feels completely organic. The ten minutes breeze past, showing how comfortably this lineup can explore longer, progressive structures without ever losing their rhythmic anchor.
They follow that mammoth journey with A Greater Meaning, which pivots into shorter, feistier, and more experimental territory. Ferrier adopts a deeper, softer vocal tone in the verses, exploring subtle melodic shades that challenge traditional stoner rock boundaries before the tempo shifts gear and drives home.
Down the home stretch, Mountain brings back that brooding, bass-heavy intensity. Sweeney’s thick low-end rumbles beneath Kathman’s energetic drumming, steadily ratcheting up the tension until the whole track explodes into a monstrous wall of fuzz.
They follow that mammoth journey with A Greater Meaning, which pivots into shorter, feistier, and more experimental territory. Ferrier adopts a deeper, softer vocal tone in the verses, exploring subtle melodic shades that challenge traditional stoner rock boundaries before the tempo shifts gear and drives home.
Down the home stretch, Mountain brings back that brooding, bass-heavy intensity. Sweeney’s thick low-end rumbles beneath Kathman’s energetic drumming, steadily ratcheting up the tension until the whole track explodes into a monstrous wall of fuzz.
Closing out with No Hope, the trio wraps things up with a measured, heavy dirge where sudden bursts of deafening roar collide with Ferrier’s soothing, melodic vocal hooks.
The Blacklight Sessions doesn't try to reinvent heavy psych or stoner rock; it simply reminds you why the genre is so damn fun when played with authentic heart, grit, and veteran craft. Valley Of The Sun have delivered a tight, riff-packed record that goes down smooth and hits heavy. A thoroughly enjoyable ride from start to finish. 9/10
Midnight – Satanic Attack Live (Metal Blade Records) [Keith Boswell]
The band Midnight who hails from the mid-west in the United States are about to uncover a new live album on the 6th November 2026 entitled Satanic Attack Live.
The Blacklight Sessions doesn't try to reinvent heavy psych or stoner rock; it simply reminds you why the genre is so damn fun when played with authentic heart, grit, and veteran craft. Valley Of The Sun have delivered a tight, riff-packed record that goes down smooth and hits heavy. A thoroughly enjoyable ride from start to finish. 9/10
Midnight – Satanic Attack Live (Metal Blade Records) [Keith Boswell]
The band Midnight who hails from the mid-west in the United States are about to uncover a new live album on the 6th November 2026 entitled Satanic Attack Live.
Released on the Metal Blade Records label the album consists of fifteen tracks for a combined effort of fifty-five minutes of finest black metal one could wish for. Recorded over two sold out memorable shows at Hollywood’s Knucklehead venue during May 2026, principally concentrates their set list upon their debut album Satanic Royalty which is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary since conception in 2011.
With its opening rendition of Unholy and Rotten the band clearly states its intent by providing the listener with an unashamedly unpolished brand of high intensity, riff laden, with hooks aplenty black metal music.
Such honest and authentic style immediately catches the listeners ear with Evil Like A Knife, which is quite possibly my favourite on the album with its great speed, intense opening riff and a great hook to boot. Leading onto the ageless Satanic Royalty the real riff laden hook type riffs being really evident and starting to become a common theme.
As one progresses through this musical extravaganza more of the same is observed until we get to Black Damnation which almost provides respite from the bone crushing intensity of those tracks before it. This reduction in tempo delivers a magical opening solo which is to be commended and returns throughout giving the song great balance and appeal.
After the short interlude more of the same is observed all the way until the final track F.O.A.L which puts the icing on the cake and brings the record to a close. A great album which certainly grows on you, those hooks just do it for me every time I listen to it. Cast your ear over it, you won’t be able to put it down I promise! 8/10
Mr Bison – The Garden Of Forgotten Dreams (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Spike]
Hot on the heels of being completely blown away by hijss's self-titled record, another heavy trip out of Italy lands on the desk courtesy of Heavy Psych Sounds.
With its opening rendition of Unholy and Rotten the band clearly states its intent by providing the listener with an unashamedly unpolished brand of high intensity, riff laden, with hooks aplenty black metal music.
Such honest and authentic style immediately catches the listeners ear with Evil Like A Knife, which is quite possibly my favourite on the album with its great speed, intense opening riff and a great hook to boot. Leading onto the ageless Satanic Royalty the real riff laden hook type riffs being really evident and starting to become a common theme.
As one progresses through this musical extravaganza more of the same is observed until we get to Black Damnation which almost provides respite from the bone crushing intensity of those tracks before it. This reduction in tempo delivers a magical opening solo which is to be commended and returns throughout giving the song great balance and appeal.
After the short interlude more of the same is observed all the way until the final track F.O.A.L which puts the icing on the cake and brings the record to a close. A great album which certainly grows on you, those hooks just do it for me every time I listen to it. Cast your ear over it, you won’t be able to put it down I promise! 8/10
Mr Bison – The Garden Of Forgotten Dreams (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Spike]
Hot on the heels of being completely blown away by hijss's self-titled record, another heavy trip out of Italy lands on the desk courtesy of Heavy Psych Sounds.
Tuscan heavy psych and progressive rock outfit Mr. Bison have come a hell of a long way since their raw, no-bass blues-rock beginnings on 2012's We'll Be Brief. Over six studio albums, they’ve steadily stretched their limbs, transforming from fuzzy stoner rock roots into one of the most reliable and ambitious heavy psych/prog outfits in Europe.
Following the cosmic conceptual sprawl of 2020’s Seaward and 2024’s Echoes From The Universe, The Garden Of Forgotten Dreams sees the four-piece raising the bar once again. What they’ve delivered here is a record that feels far more immediate and song-focused than their previous output, without sacrificing an ounce of their signature experimental weight.
What strikes you right away is that "cosmic" never means "floaty" in Mr. Bison's world. Too many bands in the modern psych scene end up disappearing into endless, aimless delay loops or relying on the fog machine to do the heavy lifting. Mr. Bison don't play that game. They keep plenty of dirt and grit in the gears, but they’ve thoroughly polished the windscreen so you can see exactly where the journey is heading.
What strikes you right away is that "cosmic" never means "floaty" in Mr. Bison's world. Too many bands in the modern psych scene end up disappearing into endless, aimless delay loops or relying on the fog machine to do the heavy lifting. Mr. Bison don't play that game. They keep plenty of dirt and grit in the gears, but they’ve thoroughly polished the windscreen so you can see exactly where the journey is heading.
Every instrument occupies a distinct, physical space in the mix, thanks to stellar engineering from guitarist/synth player Matteo Barsacchi alongside Richard Behrens at Big Snuff Studio in Berlin, with mastering duties handled by Carl Saff and Adam Ayan. The production sounds completely alive: the low end lands with intent rather than muddy bloat, the keys add lush atmosphere without suffocating the guitars, and the songs hit with punch.
The record opens with Cosmic Tide, and right out of the traps, its warm, analogue embrace wraps around you. Shimmering synthesizer textures and organ flourishes from Davide Salvadori interlock with Barsacchi's fuzzy riffs, sailing between 70s acoustic warmth, space-rock drift, and stomping, heavy grooves. Matteo Sciocchetto’s vocals sound fantastic—carrying a bluesy, relaxed swagger that roots the galactic expanse in genuine human grit.
The record opens with Cosmic Tide, and right out of the traps, its warm, analogue embrace wraps around you. Shimmering synthesizer textures and organ flourishes from Davide Salvadori interlock with Barsacchi's fuzzy riffs, sailing between 70s acoustic warmth, space-rock drift, and stomping, heavy grooves. Matteo Sciocchetto’s vocals sound fantastic—carrying a bluesy, relaxed swagger that roots the galactic expanse in genuine human grit.
It glides effortlessly into the title track, The Garden Of Forgotten Dreams, which builds on rich vocal harmonies and driving rhythmic shifts, delivering an addictive, melodic hook that burrows straight into your head on the first spin.
Where the band truly flexes their creative muscle is on the standout centrepiece, Bright Shadow. The track feels like a masterclass in dynamic tension and release.
Where the band truly flexes their creative muscle is on the standout centrepiece, Bright Shadow. The track feels like a masterclass in dynamic tension and release.
In the verses, drummer Lorenzo Salvadori lays down an intricate, polyrhythmic drum pattern that pays unmistakable homage to Tool's Danny Carey, complex and hypnotic without ever tipping into self-indulgent shredding. When the fuzzy, overdriven riffs drop, they collide with twinkling keys and crushing low end, proving this is a band completely secure in their own identity.
The momentum carries high across the middle stretch. On lead single Astray, the band navigates the lyrical concept of feeling lost among ruins and memories, searching for something solid to hold onto until the very act of wandering becomes the path to salvation.
The momentum carries high across the middle stretch. On lead single Astray, the band navigates the lyrical concept of feeling lost among ruins and memories, searching for something solid to hold onto until the very act of wandering becomes the path to salvation.
It’s got a buoyant, driving energy that leads naturally into Turn To Stone and The Sunrise, weaving bittersweet melodies through rolling, vintage 70s-inspired riffs that recall classic space rock while remaining fiercely modern.
Down the back stretch, the swampy blues-rock pull of River Moan clears the runway for the crushing closer, Old Hue. This track is a stroke of tactical genius. Rather than letting the album drift away into an ethereal fade-out, Mr. Bison seize a massive, 90s grunge groove straight out of the Alice In Chains playbook and mutate it into their cosmic palette.
Down the back stretch, the swampy blues-rock pull of River Moan clears the runway for the crushing closer, Old Hue. This track is a stroke of tactical genius. Rather than letting the album drift away into an ethereal fade-out, Mr. Bison seize a massive, 90s grunge groove straight out of the Alice In Chains playbook and mutate it into their cosmic palette.
It brings your boots firmly back down into the mud, leaving you with physical grit and rumbling low-end in your hands.
The Garden Of Forgotten Dreams is the sound of a band operating at the absolute peak of their creative powers. By blending heavy grooves, progressive twists, and vintage space-psych into a cohesive, instant whole, Mr. Bison have planted their flag near the summit of modern European heavy rock.
The Garden Of Forgotten Dreams is the sound of a band operating at the absolute peak of their creative powers. By blending heavy grooves, progressive twists, and vintage space-psych into a cohesive, instant whole, Mr. Bison have planted their flag near the summit of modern European heavy rock.
An outstanding, beautifully crafted record. 9/10
Lockslip – The Conversation (Bleakhouse) [Keith Boswell]
Building on their 2024 self-titled EP the Los Angeles, California, quintet Lockslip will release their first album under the Bleakhouse banner entitled The Conversation on the 6th November 2026. The album will consist of eleven tracks and run for thirty-three minutes.
Starting to build a name for themselves in the hardcore / metalcore arena Lockslip endeavour to catch your attention and maintain it throughout. Indeed, the first track Gray World begins at one hundred miles per hour at full throttle with this intensity being maintained throughout the album from start to finish.
The vocals of Sarah G are solid and reliable with the intense guttural shrieks well suited to the dark riffs of an accomplished baseline. There are no two ways about this, Lockslip are a very intense and extreme metal band whose musicianship is very evident if not a little disguised on occasion, unfortunately very often the songs tend to merge into one another and lack some clarity between instruments.
Lockslip – The Conversation (Bleakhouse) [Keith Boswell]
Building on their 2024 self-titled EP the Los Angeles, California, quintet Lockslip will release their first album under the Bleakhouse banner entitled The Conversation on the 6th November 2026. The album will consist of eleven tracks and run for thirty-three minutes.
Starting to build a name for themselves in the hardcore / metalcore arena Lockslip endeavour to catch your attention and maintain it throughout. Indeed, the first track Gray World begins at one hundred miles per hour at full throttle with this intensity being maintained throughout the album from start to finish.
The vocals of Sarah G are solid and reliable with the intense guttural shrieks well suited to the dark riffs of an accomplished baseline. There are no two ways about this, Lockslip are a very intense and extreme metal band whose musicianship is very evident if not a little disguised on occasion, unfortunately very often the songs tend to merge into one another and lack some clarity between instruments.
A definite exception to this is the song Speak Without Words and also Cut Out The Odds where guitar and bass intro / riffs throughout are very evident and most welcomed to the uninitiated.
For fans who have a passion for these metal genres will, I’m sure, relish the challenge that Lockslip offer in actually unlocking their thought processes as very often the use of instruments can be very random and indeed not making much sense however I would anticipate that is the outcome that Lockslip are looking for. 6/10
For fans who have a passion for these metal genres will, I’m sure, relish the challenge that Lockslip offer in actually unlocking their thought processes as very often the use of instruments can be very random and indeed not making much sense however I would anticipate that is the outcome that Lockslip are looking for. 6/10
Monday, 9 November 2026
A View From Dead Of Night: Celavi (Misfit Jax)
Dead Of Night Featuring Celavi, Hangar 18 Venue, Swansea, 07.11.26
Hangar 18 Nightclub/Music Venue in Swansea has a history rooted in both its modern incarnation as an alternative music club/performance venue and its long-standing legacy as a fixture of Swansea’s nightlife, It has gone by many different names in the past, tonight it is the venue at every first Saturday of the month an event called Dead Of Night, an inclusive alternative night that focuses the gothic/industrial subculture and genre which has been going for just over 20 years in which it has been an important and crucial part of south Wales alternative industry and scene.
Hangar 18 Nightclub/Music Venue in Swansea has a history rooted in both its modern incarnation as an alternative music club/performance venue and its long-standing legacy as a fixture of Swansea’s nightlife, It has gone by many different names in the past, tonight it is the venue at every first Saturday of the month an event called Dead Of Night, an inclusive alternative night that focuses the gothic/industrial subculture and genre which has been going for just over 20 years in which it has been an important and crucial part of south Wales alternative industry and scene.
Now before the DJ's and the dancing, a band takes the stage to open the night, the band for this occasion Celavi (10)!, The Bangor North Wales based band fronted by Sarah and Gwion Griffiths that not only bring loud, hard fast, poetic, passionate, aggressive, cathartic lyrics and music that are sung in the Welsh language, but a bright and dark visual spectacle that they deliver not just seen in their imagery and music videos like bite my tongue, Morgana, Ar Dy Liniau (On Your Knees) and Eyeliner but with a delivered live performance aswell that just give you the feeling, nostalgia and importance of live music,
We get songs like as mentioned as well as Sori, their new song 13, and Plaster, all with a let's fucking go scream and kick from Sarah and shreds and licks from Gwion. Celavi have played castles, they have played download festival, they have played around the UK, Europe, venues of all shapes and sizes
We get songs like as mentioned as well as Sori, their new song 13, and Plaster, all with a let's fucking go scream and kick from Sarah and shreds and licks from Gwion. Celavi have played castles, they have played download festival, they have played around the UK, Europe, venues of all shapes and sizes
While singing in their Welsh native language and introducing it to a whole new spectrum, but to introduce it to a familiar one tonight at a Welsh venue already just adds that extra fuel to fire and the embers of screams,cheers and applause of the welsh fans old and new colliding with the aggressive enthusiasm of the band delivering such a spectacle of performance visually vocally and musically that is Celavi.
Reviews: Darkest Hour, Detresse, Vanaheim, SiM (GC, Yasmin Mason, Mike Bailey & Spike)
Darkest Hour - Suffer Divine (MNRK Heavy) [GC]
What is there to say about Darkest Hour? They have been around for 30 years and have been a part of making metalcore what it is, they really broke through in the early 00’s with their phenomenal record Hidden Hands Of A Sadist Nation and then never really stopped releasing albums that everybody loved, they have consistently just plugged away and are one of the bands that you look forward to new releases from and I have their latest Suffer Divine to get into today.
The intro All Cruelty Springs From Weakness offers nothing really as its just 30 seconds of random noise that could 100% not have been included and the album should have just started with the blistering insanity of Gods Of Decay because its everything you would expect it to be, savage, rampaging guitars and layered over the harsh, antagonistic and the drumming creates a solid and furious back bone and the main riff will stick in your head for a longtime after the song is done.
What is there to say about Darkest Hour? They have been around for 30 years and have been a part of making metalcore what it is, they really broke through in the early 00’s with their phenomenal record Hidden Hands Of A Sadist Nation and then never really stopped releasing albums that everybody loved, they have consistently just plugged away and are one of the bands that you look forward to new releases from and I have their latest Suffer Divine to get into today.
The intro All Cruelty Springs From Weakness offers nothing really as its just 30 seconds of random noise that could 100% not have been included and the album should have just started with the blistering insanity of Gods Of Decay because its everything you would expect it to be, savage, rampaging guitars and layered over the harsh, antagonistic and the drumming creates a solid and furious back bone and the main riff will stick in your head for a longtime after the song is done.
No Conquered Hearts doesn’t give any time to recover as its straight into the same sort of rhythm and speed, it has a little more subtlety in the main body of the song and lets some more mellow sections take the lead and its manages to blend both styles with consummate ease and shows a band comfortable with what they offer and are able to show all the skills form a lengthy career.
Salvation offers a more subtle and anthemic approach, you can imagine this in a decent sized venue sounding absolutely huge and getting everyone moving, the hard edge is there but the melodic tendencies really shine through and show that there is more than one way to do metalcore and not sound dated, boring or over produced and the guitar harmonies on this track are stunning!
The title track Suffer Divine is just a good old fashioned barn burner, foot to the floor banger of a track, scything guitars that throw out solos for laughs mix with more precise and pinpoint drumming all delivered with complete ease and the vocals add the extra layer of heavy in a flawlessly executed track.
Warrior harks back to the days when all metalcore bands tried the Swedeath sound, not all got it right and some nailed it, well Darkest Hour are one of the ones who 100% nailed it and made a statement with it, the melodics and harmony is all there in huge amounts and also they manage to add that little bit of their own style and update the sound to bring it into the modern day beautifully.
Vile Angel in a few parts is a little slower than anything else on the album, it mixes the bluster and power of earlier tracks and also adds the subtlety they know how to use so well, when its fast it is executed brilliantly and when they drop back a, little it never effects the song and just creates more levels of enjoyment.
Tis leads into The Unforgiving Hand which is all about the melody and atmosphere, its full of beautifully soft guitars and its not until about 2:30 you notice there hasn't been anything else and then it expands the sound and the vocals and drums joint the party and it is still paired back just enough but it keeps you wanting more and more as it goes then and has one final push before its done and you cant hep appreciate the beauty of this track once it over.
Tribalist turns thing back around to more of what you may expect, its another staccato, twin guitar attack with the melodics tuned in all the way, it’s not as full on as most of the rest of the record has been but it still does a job very well.
Everyday Horrors is exactly what I want, its full force metalcore, you can also really feel the hardcore running through this track, the guitars are cutting and merciless, the vocals are furious and unrelenting and the drum work is once again nothing short of phenomenal, the way it starts fast and hard and manages to throw up more death metal influence in the middle but never stray to far from the hardcore influence is masterfully done.
Roede voor de Borst is the second full album by Vanaheim, the epic Folk/Pagan Metal band from the Netherlands. The Album is a Saga told in six parts – Geestenmist speaks to embarking on a journey of redemption from exile, all the way through to Roed Voor De Borst, the homecoming and conclusion of the saga.
The album starts explosively. Vocals, by Zino Van Leerdam, are a relentless snarling barrage to the senses, accompanied by Het IJsel En Waal Koor, raising the feeling from tale to Saga. Michael Van Eck on guitars and Mike Seidal on bass guitar provide thunderous propulsion to the songs, with Bram Trommelen creating a cavalry charge with the drums. Finally, like a crow hovering over a battlefield, Rikke Linssen adds an accent of grace and elegance with her violin; it becomes truly epic.
This energy continues throughout the entire album, ebbing in places, but never losing its momentum. Even without speaking Dutch, the story is told through the bridges, shifts, ebbs and flows. When you finally arrive at the titular Roede Voor De Brost,a song about the grief of surviving a journey home when many other did not, you feel like YOU are finishing this long hard journey alongside them.
It can sometimes be daunting to approach a non-english speaking album, this album really does succeed in taking you on that journey, regardless. For fans of early Nightwish, Epica and Kamelot, this is essential listening. For anyone else, this album is legitimately good fun, and well worth your time. 9/10
They save the longest till last and on A Story Of Redemption they get a chance to REALLY flex the death metal side of things, the guitars play off each other perfectly and might even start off a bit too over the top but you get past that very quickly when the song gets going it has an unmistakable gallop throughout and the pacing is wonderful all the way through and the way all the different parts and styles are put together is really just testament to what you can do with 30 years of experience behind you and it’s a fitting end to the album.
After all the years and all the albums released, you wonder if Darkest Hour are still going to be relevant and on this showing the answer is 100% yes! They sound as fresh and vital as they ever have, the way they mix all their influences and show them is particularly invigorating and if they keep this sort of standard up then there really is nothing that can stop them. 9/10
Detresse - Miseres (Vendetta Records) [Yasmin Mason]
Formed in 2024, Detresse are relative newcomers to the black metal scene. Despite having band members based both in Austria and Canada, the three piece have still managed to be incredibly productive, releasing their second album in the space of 2 years, Miseres.
I'll cut straight to the chase; I really like this album.
Opening track Vallee De Miseres gets the album off to a strong start. The track alternates between slow, heavier riffs and fast, frantic beats, synths adding to the atmosphere towards the end of the track.
After all the years and all the albums released, you wonder if Darkest Hour are still going to be relevant and on this showing the answer is 100% yes! They sound as fresh and vital as they ever have, the way they mix all their influences and show them is particularly invigorating and if they keep this sort of standard up then there really is nothing that can stop them. 9/10
Detresse - Miseres (Vendetta Records) [Yasmin Mason]
Formed in 2024, Detresse are relative newcomers to the black metal scene. Despite having band members based both in Austria and Canada, the three piece have still managed to be incredibly productive, releasing their second album in the space of 2 years, Miseres.
I'll cut straight to the chase; I really like this album.
Opening track Vallee De Miseres gets the album off to a strong start. The track alternates between slow, heavier riffs and fast, frantic beats, synths adding to the atmosphere towards the end of the track.
Verrottet is faster paced throughout with blast beats aplenty: this track really does showcase the drums and they sound great. Schwefel is my favourite. The track opens and closes with melodic yet hypnotic riffs that feel like a dark waltz. This song simultaneously reminds me of Dissection's Where Dead Angels Lie and Stahlsarg's Das Fallbeil.
While Schwefel felt like a beautifully dark interlude, Les Nuits Jaunes brings us back to speed. An intro of tremolo riffs and tribal beats gives way to a more up tempo beat as the vocals kick in. The spoken vocals in the background of the latter part of the track add extra atmosphere. Peine Perdue and So Bitter, So Kalt continue in the same vein with melodic riffs, blast beats and tempo changes aplenty in both tracks, yet, as with the rest of the album, each song manages to retain its own personality.
While Schwefel felt like a beautifully dark interlude, Les Nuits Jaunes brings us back to speed. An intro of tremolo riffs and tribal beats gives way to a more up tempo beat as the vocals kick in. The spoken vocals in the background of the latter part of the track add extra atmosphere. Peine Perdue and So Bitter, So Kalt continue in the same vein with melodic riffs, blast beats and tempo changes aplenty in both tracks, yet, as with the rest of the album, each song manages to retain its own personality.
The album ends with an unexpected but beautifully melancholic instrumental track, Veloren. As crackling flames and voices are heard in the background, a lone cello weaves through the clavichord and guitar, creating a hauntingly beautiful medieval atmosphere, which matches the theme of the album cover perfectly.
It's safe to say that this album will be on regular rotation on my album playlist from now on.
For fans of melodic black metal, I would absolutely recommend giving this album a listen. 8/10
Vanaheim - Roede Voor De Borst (Fireflash Records/Edel) [Mike Bailey]
It's safe to say that this album will be on regular rotation on my album playlist from now on.
For fans of melodic black metal, I would absolutely recommend giving this album a listen. 8/10
Vanaheim - Roede Voor De Borst (Fireflash Records/Edel) [Mike Bailey]
Roede voor de Borst is the second full album by Vanaheim, the epic Folk/Pagan Metal band from the Netherlands. The Album is a Saga told in six parts – Geestenmist speaks to embarking on a journey of redemption from exile, all the way through to Roed Voor De Borst, the homecoming and conclusion of the saga.
The album starts explosively. Vocals, by Zino Van Leerdam, are a relentless snarling barrage to the senses, accompanied by Het IJsel En Waal Koor, raising the feeling from tale to Saga. Michael Van Eck on guitars and Mike Seidal on bass guitar provide thunderous propulsion to the songs, with Bram Trommelen creating a cavalry charge with the drums. Finally, like a crow hovering over a battlefield, Rikke Linssen adds an accent of grace and elegance with her violin; it becomes truly epic.
This energy continues throughout the entire album, ebbing in places, but never losing its momentum. Even without speaking Dutch, the story is told through the bridges, shifts, ebbs and flows. When you finally arrive at the titular Roede Voor De Brost,a song about the grief of surviving a journey home when many other did not, you feel like YOU are finishing this long hard journey alongside them.
It can sometimes be daunting to approach a non-english speaking album, this album really does succeed in taking you on that journey, regardless. For fans of early Nightwish, Epica and Kamelot, this is essential listening. For anyone else, this album is legitimately good fun, and well worth your time. 9/10
SiM – Hooman After All (UNFD) [Spike]
If you pitched a band as "the Japanese Skindred colliding head-on with
2000s skate-punk, drum-and-bass, and anime theme bombast," most people
would assume you’d completely lost your mind. But for Kanagawa’s SiM (Silence
iz Mine), that chaotic blender isn’t an experimental gimmick; it has been their
entire identity for over two decades.
Ever since their colossal single The Rumbling catapulted them onto global festival stages via Attack On Titan, frontman Mah and his crew have occupied a wild, cross-pollinated corner of heavy music. On their seventh full-length outing, Hooman After All, they make zero apologies for their hyperactive DNA, delivering a breathless, twelve-track salute to late-90s and early-2000s rock that trades restraint for pure, unhinged adrenaline.
The album wastes no time grabbing you by the scruff of the neck with opener Five
Times Dead (By My Wallet). It hits with sonically crushing metalcore
down-tuning before pulling a sharp handbrake turn into hyper-kinetic
drum-and-bass breaks and syncopated reggae upstrokes. Mah switches effortlessly
between gravelly growls and dancehall cadences, backed by a rhythm section that
treats steady tempo like an optional guideline.
The guest spots across this record are integrated with surgical brilliance,
pulling together the heavyweights of contemporary Japanese rock. Lead single
Blindeyes brings in Yukina of Hanabie. for an explosive vocal duel. The track’s
central refrain ("Mou sumimasen deha sumimasen" / "Your apology
won't fix this anymore") sees Yukina's piercing harajuku-metalcore shrieks
collide with Mah's theatrical sneer over a sea of razor-sharp riffs.
From there, the stylistic shifts come thick and fast. Dalala opens with a
murky, low-slung nu-metal beat and distorted vocal filters before executing a
wild key-change into a sun-drenched, major-key chorus that sounds like 2001
pop-punk on steroids. Just when you think you’ve adjusted your balance, Hold My Beer and Karen's Son kick in. Hold My Beer is pure two-stepping,
pit-ready ska-punk loaded with infectious swagger, while Karen's
Son plays out like a biting, 2000s pop-punk diss track, flipping
Fountains of Wayne's Stacy's Mom trope into a hilarious,
tongue-in-cheek crowd anthem.
The undeniable party centrepiece arrives with The Sniffing Cats Ska, enlisting
fellow Japanese punk stalwarts Hey-Smith. Anchored by blaring horns, upbeat
skank rhythms, and metalcore chugs, it is an unapologetic riot of brass and
distortion that proves heavy music is allowed to be ridiculously fun.
The second half of the record refuses to let the energy flag. The title track, Hooman
After All, brings that signature ska-metal bounce, while coldrain frontman
Masato drops in on Zion for a darker, post-hardcore workout that shows off
their heavier technical chops. Later cuts like the Black Torch anime anthem Freeze
Me Up and the anthemic closer Sailing On wrap things up with soaring,
festival-sized choruses.
Does Hooman After All suffer from a bit of sensory overload? Absolutely. SiM
cram so many ideas, tempo changes, and genre flips into forty minutes that
purists might find their heads spinning. But if you walk into this with an open
mind and a love for high-energy, genre-smashing madness, it is an absolute
blast from start to finish. Infectious, heavy, and wildly entertaining. 8/10
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