Best known as the guitarist and songwriter for British rockers Thunder, Luke Morley has been going further down the solo road these past few years as the band remain on indefinite hiatus. With Tales From The Blue Room released in 2023, he collated all the works he’d been tinkering with during the pandemic, it was introspective and studied but with Walking On Water, Morley has been able to tour his solo work, record an album with The Quireboys and I would think perhaps approach this album a little differently.
Opening with the upbeat disposition of Natural High, an ode to the English summer, we’re brought straight into the musical world of Morley, you can hear Thunder, Terraplane and The Union across all eleven tracks on this record, the mixture of acoustic and electric guitars bringing this first number to life as we head into the bluesy title track, which takes a T-Rex-like swagger with the fuzzy guitars and piano stabs.
With the last record I mentioned that I was impressed with Morley’s voice, though it’s not surprising as he’s always been the main backing vocalist for any band he’s in and considering he’s formed bands with two of the best rock singers around, I’d say he was better than a lot of lead singers, giving tracks such as Forever And Again a real heart with his soulful delivery.
It’s his songwriting and guitar playing though that will appeal to longtime fans though, with some country bleeds into the Southern style of Texas, some harmonica blowing, laid back acoustics and a Fender Rhodes bristles. On Don’t You Cry Now, he invokes the spirit of Gary Moore. Always A Saturday Night comes from the Thunder songbook for sure, while Gun To Your Head is a smoky ballad, Bullets is a strutting rocker that rallies at the modern world.
Walking On Water sees Morley embracing the roots of Americana and blues but giving it that Brit Grit that he has with Thunder/The Union. As the introspective The Beatlesesque In Your Light closes the record you can hear that Walking On Water is another set of honest, expertly rendered songs from a jewel of the British rock fraternity. 8/10
Fracture – A Change In What May Come (Self-Released) [Spike]
Sheffield’s Fracture waste no time. Six tracks, barely twenty three minutes, and yet A Change In What May Come feels like it says more than many albums twice its length. Lean, relentless and emotionally barbed, it’s a tightly wound burst of modern metallic hardcore, raw, furious, and smart enough not to overstay its welcome.
Bog Rat makes it instantly clear this isn’t background music. Gritty guitars, a visceral vocal tone, and that always-welcome grind between chaos and control hook early and refuse to let go. From there, the EP rolls forward without filler: A Salted Earth crushes under waves of low-end rumble, while The Catalyst, The Creator, The Messenger adds more texture, sliding from noise-drenched hardcore into passages that hint at post-metal tension without ever slowing the attack.
There’s a surprising amount of dynamic detail crammed into the runtime. Silencer shifts the pace and tightens the focus, offering a short blast of malice that feels all the heavier for its brevity. A View Beyond This Tragedy leans further into atmosphere, showing restraint where it counts and letting the space between notes do the damage. Closer A Change In What May Come then ties it all together, angular, urgent, and collapsing under its own weight just as the final notes drop out.
The whole thing sounds live, urgent, and unfussy. Vocals are spat with intent, guitars maintain a satisfying filth, and the rhythm section delivers enough punch to keep everything grounded. The band aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they’re pushing it down a much darker, more interesting path than most.
Fracture – A Change In What May Come (Self-Released) [Spike]
Sheffield’s Fracture waste no time. Six tracks, barely twenty three minutes, and yet A Change In What May Come feels like it says more than many albums twice its length. Lean, relentless and emotionally barbed, it’s a tightly wound burst of modern metallic hardcore, raw, furious, and smart enough not to overstay its welcome.
Bog Rat makes it instantly clear this isn’t background music. Gritty guitars, a visceral vocal tone, and that always-welcome grind between chaos and control hook early and refuse to let go. From there, the EP rolls forward without filler: A Salted Earth crushes under waves of low-end rumble, while The Catalyst, The Creator, The Messenger adds more texture, sliding from noise-drenched hardcore into passages that hint at post-metal tension without ever slowing the attack.
There’s a surprising amount of dynamic detail crammed into the runtime. Silencer shifts the pace and tightens the focus, offering a short blast of malice that feels all the heavier for its brevity. A View Beyond This Tragedy leans further into atmosphere, showing restraint where it counts and letting the space between notes do the damage. Closer A Change In What May Come then ties it all together, angular, urgent, and collapsing under its own weight just as the final notes drop out.
The whole thing sounds live, urgent, and unfussy. Vocals are spat with intent, guitars maintain a satisfying filth, and the rhythm section delivers enough punch to keep everything grounded. The band aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they’re pushing it down a much darker, more interesting path than most.
This isn’t a release that gradually works its way into your affections. If it’s going to grab you, it does it in the first minute and for me, it did. The energy is undeniable, but it’s the cohesion that makes it stand out. Every track feels like it belongs. Fracture aren’t just making noise, they’re building something heavier with purpose. 8/10
Undeath – Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard (Independent) [Spike]
Billed as an EP this is just two songs, but what two songs they are. Enter Patient opens with ominous creaking before erupting into a five-minute gauntlet of crushing riffs, demonic bellowing, and spine-shaking percussion. It's procedural horror in sonic form, slow-building dread giving way to relentless death metal assault. The organ addition adds an eerie undercurrent, not just retro terror, but gothic medical theatre come alive.
Endless Graveyard is shorter but no slouch. In just under four minutes, it breaks down into a sweaty, panic-laced scream of skeletal grooves and guttural meaty chugs. Think decay incarnate, unsparing, claustrophobic, and perfectly designed to be experienced live which is the plan this Friday in Norwich.
Why it works:
· Surgical precision: no fat, no filler, all brutality.
· Live energy translated: this feels like a stage ramp-up, not studio polish.
· Atmosphere meets aggression: vintage horror vibes wrapped in corporate-level low end.
Brutal, terrifying, and impactful. A short but lethal dose of Undeath’s darkest instincts. Can’t wait to see it served live. 9/10
Crypt Sermon – Saturnian Appendices (Dark Descent Records) [Matt Bladen]
Crypt Sermon’s Stygian Rose was universally acclaimed when it was released last year so more music in that vein will be welcomed by me! Saturnian Appendices is a collection of three tracks that extend the story arc and take a deeper dive into the meanings behind Stygian Rose, alongside a cover of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Doom Sathanas which was only previously available as part of Decibel’s Flexi-disc series.
Undeath – Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard (Independent) [Spike]
Billed as an EP this is just two songs, but what two songs they are. Enter Patient opens with ominous creaking before erupting into a five-minute gauntlet of crushing riffs, demonic bellowing, and spine-shaking percussion. It's procedural horror in sonic form, slow-building dread giving way to relentless death metal assault. The organ addition adds an eerie undercurrent, not just retro terror, but gothic medical theatre come alive.
Endless Graveyard is shorter but no slouch. In just under four minutes, it breaks down into a sweaty, panic-laced scream of skeletal grooves and guttural meaty chugs. Think decay incarnate, unsparing, claustrophobic, and perfectly designed to be experienced live which is the plan this Friday in Norwich.
Why it works:
· Surgical precision: no fat, no filler, all brutality.
· Live energy translated: this feels like a stage ramp-up, not studio polish.
· Atmosphere meets aggression: vintage horror vibes wrapped in corporate-level low end.
Brutal, terrifying, and impactful. A short but lethal dose of Undeath’s darkest instincts. Can’t wait to see it served live. 9/10
Crypt Sermon – Saturnian Appendices (Dark Descent Records) [Matt Bladen]
Crypt Sermon’s Stygian Rose was universally acclaimed when it was released last year so more music in that vein will be welcomed by me! Saturnian Appendices is a collection of three tracks that extend the story arc and take a deeper dive into the meanings behind Stygian Rose, alongside a cover of Mayhem’s De Mysteriis Doom Sathanas which was only previously available as part of Decibel’s Flexi-disc series.
Saturnian Appendices sees Crypt Sermon retreating back into their doomy heavy metal sound, introspective, angst-ridden and driven by some brilliant riff work from Frank Chin and Matthew Knox and grandiose synths and keys from Tanner Anderson. Lachrymose for instance takes in the theatrics of Candelmass with Steve Jansson getting plenty of time to show off his solos. As vocalist Brooks Wilson utilizes his full range, chanting and eulogising like a corrupt preacher here and on their excellent shot at the Mayhem song, where Enrique Sagarnaga sets a mighty pace.
These Saturnian Appendices leave the book wide open for more excellence from Crypt Sermon on their next album, treading the fine line between orthodoxy and the occult these extras are very much needed. 8/10
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