There's an old saying that if you dig deep enough into traditional British folk, you'll find murder, betrayals, and dark ritual long before metal ever invented them. Crumbling Ghost understand this better than almost anyone. They’ve been operating under the radar for a while now, earning quiet nods of respect from the likes of Stuart Maconie and Stewart Lee while sharing stages with Hawkwind and Damo Suzuki. Their fourth release, simply titled Four, takes ancient songs and drenches them in heavy, fuzzy stoner rock and doom.
The record kicks off with Bows Of London, and for the first two minutes, it plays like a sweet, delicate folk song. Then out of nowhere, the band steps on the fuzz pedals and a wall of crushing, thick guitar riffs rips right through the acoustic haze. It’s an incredible moment that sets the tone for the rest of the album. Think Fairport Convention playing through vintage Sunn amps, or a pastoral version of Sonic Youth set loose on English folklore.
What sets Crumbling Ghost apart from a band like Green Lung is how they handle the "folk horror" element. Green Lung lean heavily into theatrics and hammer-horror visuals, which is great fun, but Crumbling Ghost take a very different path. Here, the dark atmosphere comes directly from the songs themselves. Tracks like Bill Norrie and The Unquiet Grave don't need gimmicks; the original lyrics are already terrifying enough, and wrapping them in slow, heavy doom riffs only brings that weight out into the light.
The album has a fantastic flow to it. Instrumental pieces like Valtz Efter Tor Lohne provide a moody breather, while Lovely Joan and Gower Wassail demonstrate how naturally acoustic melodies can bend into heavy psych jams. Last Of All Sleep pulls everything back down into an atmospheric, sombre lull before The Unquiet Grave brings the curtain down.
It’s rare to hear a band blend two distinct genres so effortlessly without it feeling like a trick. Crumbling Ghost have created something genuinely special here, a heavy, beautiful, and deeply eerie record that deserves far more attention than it's had. 9/10
Oddland - Unilluminate To Illuminate (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
This is definitely an odd land as this Finnish progressive metal band put all matter of influences into their music beginning the record with saxophone that is met by the chunky modern prog metal of Vola, Haken or tour mates Soen.
Unilluminate To Illuminate is a record about innovation, polarity and that we need "darkness in order to find joy in light". The complexities of these ideas are explored by a band that are at their creative peak, honed on stage, they have created a record that is conceptual as dynamic, layered progressive metal meets a strong melodic sense.
The stage for experimentation is set with the tribal meets jazz rhythms of Amokinus an intro that gets the album off to a flying start and shifts into the palm muted riffs of Eternal Erode as Oddland define their modern prog metal credentials. For a four piece they play music with layers, even in the vocals the lower and higher ends combine with dramatic, numbers like Soar where string arrangements are used well.
The strings are just the start though as Oddland have multiple instruments you may not associate with metal throughout this record, on Illuminate especially but it is a very metal record as Freefall reminds me a lot of Vola while Act Of Solace and Red Canvas draw from Soen or Katatonia, making it perfect for fans of these bands but never blatant copies.
Unilluminate To Illuminate works with both the dark and light to create it's prog metal magic, a dynamic record for fans of heavy prog that takes risks but has strong melodic moment. 9/10
Grand - Guilty Pleasure (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]
Swedish melodic rockers Grand bring some Guilty Pleasure with their new album of the same name.
Chorus driven AOR with more hooks than a pirate convention as they set the tone of the record on Wild Heart with some modern AOR balladry, that has been monopolised by Sweden but was born in the 80's through FM radio.
It's music that comes from the point where rock and pop collide in some high energy tracks built on a solid rhythm section who along with the melodic keys all come from new members injecting some fresh blood into Grand. As they join the strutting guitar lines and big vocals of the men that founded the group.
With the adding a few new wrinkles since this debut in 2022 as they lean into the likes of Foreigner, Toto and Mr Big, given lush production that sounds great on the swaggering title track, the pop infected Have A Little Faith, as Party Galore brings the blue collar sound of Rick Springfield.
This is very much a Guilty Pleasure from Grand, AOR that is at its shiniest and most radio friendly. 7/10
Nova Riot – Blood, Lies and Lullabies (Eclipse Records) [Spike]
Lipstick-red sigils, heavy low-tuned chugs, and high-gloss pop melodies—Oklahoma’s Nova Riot aren't trying to hide behind a veil of garage obscurity. They describe their sound as "bubblegum alternative metal," and while a phrase like that might make traditional purists wince, it’s an accurate tag for what this trio is doing.
On their debut, Blood, Lies And Lullabies, they mix the heavy, cinematic bounce of Spiritbox and Bad Omens with the dark, theatrical pop melodrama of Violent Vira and Poppy. It’s slick, stylized, and unapologetically modern.
Formed in 2024 by vocalist Nova Ray, bassist Orion, and lead guitarist Ares, the band bypassed the usual local dive bar circuit entirely, choosing instead to launch as a polished, studio-ready package. Bringing in veteran King Diamond drummer Matt Thompson to handle the kit behind the boards gives these seven tracks a muscular, relentless backbone that keeps the pop hooks grounded in real, heavy metal weight.
The record opens with Haunting Me, dropping you straight into a mix of pulsing electronic atmosphere and low-tuned guitar riffs before Nova Ray’s vocals take over. She moves easily between polished, soaring melodies and raw, edge-of-breakdown grit. It leads right into Midnight Coven Crush, which is easily the catchiest track on the release. It’s pure witchy pop-metal, built around a thumping rhythm, lipstick sigils, and a chant-along hook that’s bound to stay stuck in your head for days.
The middle section keeps the momentum high with Casket and The Altar, the latter featuring a guest spot from post-hardcore outfit The Bunny The Bear. The electronic layers and dark synths give the heavy breakdowns room to breathe without making the production feel crowded. Like I Meant It brings a venomous alternative rock punch to a breakup narrative, balancing sharp, observational lyrics with driving guitars.
Where the record takes a stark pivot is the final track, Sorry Mom. After six tracks of slick aesthetic and heavy anthems, the band strips away the neon sheen for a painfully direct, uncomfortable look at mental health, addiction, and despair. It’s a heavy emotional crash after the high-energy rush of Through The Storm, showing that beneath all the visual polish, there’s genuine vulnerability driving the songwriting.
At seven tracks, Blood, Lies And Lullabies doesn't overstay its welcome. It’s a tight, confident, and incredibly well-produced debut from a young band that knows exactly who they are and where they want to fit in the modern alternative metal landscape. If you like your heavy music with big melodies, dark atmosphere, and zero apology, this is well worth taking for a spin. 8/10
Formed in 2024 by vocalist Nova Ray, bassist Orion, and lead guitarist Ares, the band bypassed the usual local dive bar circuit entirely, choosing instead to launch as a polished, studio-ready package. Bringing in veteran King Diamond drummer Matt Thompson to handle the kit behind the boards gives these seven tracks a muscular, relentless backbone that keeps the pop hooks grounded in real, heavy metal weight.
The record opens with Haunting Me, dropping you straight into a mix of pulsing electronic atmosphere and low-tuned guitar riffs before Nova Ray’s vocals take over. She moves easily between polished, soaring melodies and raw, edge-of-breakdown grit. It leads right into Midnight Coven Crush, which is easily the catchiest track on the release. It’s pure witchy pop-metal, built around a thumping rhythm, lipstick sigils, and a chant-along hook that’s bound to stay stuck in your head for days.
The middle section keeps the momentum high with Casket and The Altar, the latter featuring a guest spot from post-hardcore outfit The Bunny The Bear. The electronic layers and dark synths give the heavy breakdowns room to breathe without making the production feel crowded. Like I Meant It brings a venomous alternative rock punch to a breakup narrative, balancing sharp, observational lyrics with driving guitars.
Where the record takes a stark pivot is the final track, Sorry Mom. After six tracks of slick aesthetic and heavy anthems, the band strips away the neon sheen for a painfully direct, uncomfortable look at mental health, addiction, and despair. It’s a heavy emotional crash after the high-energy rush of Through The Storm, showing that beneath all the visual polish, there’s genuine vulnerability driving the songwriting.
At seven tracks, Blood, Lies And Lullabies doesn't overstay its welcome. It’s a tight, confident, and incredibly well-produced debut from a young band that knows exactly who they are and where they want to fit in the modern alternative metal landscape. If you like your heavy music with big melodies, dark atmosphere, and zero apology, this is well worth taking for a spin. 8/10
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