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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pyroclast - Fractured State (Furious Music)

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

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

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

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

Xenith - To No Avail (Self Released)

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

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

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

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

Lifeswallower - Lifeswallower (Prog On! Recordings)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Polymoon – Mariposa Magic! (Vesperian) [Spike]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Which brings us to the headliners. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Outstanding entertainment from true underground veterans of the game.

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

Black Spikes - Ydos (Napalm Records)

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

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

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

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

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

Rising Insane - Deathrace (Long Branch Records)

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

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

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

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

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

Catch Your Breath - Not Broken Enough (Thriller Records)

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

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

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

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

Riff Dealer - New Blood (Self Released)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iconic - II (Frontiers Music Srl)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Night Eternal - Cold Velvet (Metal Blade Records)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cemetery Echo - Civitas Lacrimarum (Seeing Red Records)

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

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

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

Vordermann - Feeding On Fireworks (Self Released)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bristol Extreme Fest Preview

Bristol Extreme Fest Preview By Matt Bladen

End Of The World Promotions, who book such heavy gatherings as Southwest HeavyFest and Blastonbree Festival have brought their love of all things heavy to the city of Bristol this August Bank Holiday and it promises to be one hell of a debut event.

Based at the beautiful Trinity Centre in Bristol, Bristol Extreme Fest is a two stage, day long affair in conjunction with The Gryphon, Black City Records and RS Studios, celebrating all things heavy and on the extreme side in one of the best music cities around!

While we're not versed in every band performing, but that's part of the fun right? We can definitely run through some our picks for the show if you're heading over, but do so quickly as they're down to the last few tickets, so maybe we'll encourage you to snap some up.

The Gryphon Stage

The Gryphon Stage is the outside venue where most of the death side of the day will be taking place, so expect the biggest influx of camo shorts to be here.

We'll be looking forward to catching Public Execution and Visions Of Disfigurement for the first time however our first pick on this stage are local lads Embodiment who have been a staple of the Bristol Extreme scene for years now and will look to be welcomed as home town heroes when they take to the stage.

Next up would be Foetal Juice, possessors of the cleverest name in UK metal, this four man Manchester death squad have taken every stage in the UK by storm by now including Bloodstock, filling them with gore soaked death metal that will get you reaching for the Hawaiian shirts.

Then comes two UK exclusives that for many will be worth the price of admission alone as international slam unit Kraanium bring their putrid, brutal slam to the UK for the only time this year. While the lyrical content may be suspect, you won't really hear much of them behind the furious blasts, skull crushing grooves and bleghs.

Following then are the French kings of brutal death metal Benighted, who will be headlining and probably looking to collapse the outdoor stage with their steamrolling mix of brutal battery and grindcore grit. With nearly 30 years in the game, Benighted have evolved across the years but have defined themselves as one of the premier proponents of brutal death from Europe.

The Black City Stage

The indoor stage hosts more varied audio abuse with a lean towards black metal and while we've not seen Oskaria, Scordatura or Fuath previously but we'll be definitely catching them for the first time.

In terms of things we think you should definitely be watching then it would be South Wales based atmospheric black metal band Ofnus, who we're massive champions of here at Musipedia Of Metal. With a refreshed line up and a third album in production, you would be crazy to miss this potent live force when they take to the stage as it promises to be very special indeed.

Speaking of special, The Infernal Sea will be celebrating ten years of their second album 'The Great Mortality' performing the album in its entirety as part of three special shows. Having recently returned to the stage after a bit of a layoff this will be a set to behold from these plague mask wearing black metallers that will reward long time fans and newcomers alike.

The finale of the day though are band who need little introduction, Greek extreme metal veterans Rotting Christ co-invented the Hellenic Black Metal genre nearly 40 years ago and they have been the leaders of the genre since then, whilst over the years their style has moved away from the abrasive beginnings they now take a more epic blackened death route that is primal and unstoppable.

With a set that is bound to span decades, there's few live bands with the force of Rotting Christ and in an intimate venue it's going to be mind blowing. Raise your fists to the sky as a cry of Non Serviam will be heard across Bristol when these legends gather the black masses to the once consecrated grounds of The Trinity.

Come early, check out all the bands, all the stalls and indulge in some tasty looking food options and plenty of beverages (stay hydrated), Bristol Extreme Fest promises to be the loudest thing in Bristol this Bank Holiday weekend so if you're on the fence we suggest you snap up a ticket here:

https://www.headfirstbristol.co.uk/whats-on/the-trinity-centre/sat-29-aug-bristol-extreme-fest-2026-142662#e142662

A View From The Park: The Cure (Spike)

The Cure, Slowdive & The Slow Readers Club, Wythenshawe Park, Manchester, 21.08.26



Getting to this one felt like a proper military operation. The train trip up from Norwich was a long, muggy slog, and once you get to Manchester, you quickly realize Wythenshawe Park isn't central at all. It requires another local train connection, tracking down the hotel, and then fighting through gridlocked city traffic in an Uber just to get near the site. But all that travel hassle evaporated the second I stepped onto the grass. Standing in an open park with over 35,000 people who are all there for the exact same reason creates a very special kind of atmosphere. You could feel the collective anticipation humming right across the grass before a single note was played.

Before getting into the music, credit needs to be given where it’s due regarding the housekeeping. In an era where gig prices are getting completely out of hand with dynamic pricing scams and obscene service fees, seeing tickets kept under £80 for an event of this scale is a total breath of fresh air. Even better, t-shirts were capped at £25 on the merch table. Robert Smith and the band clearly made a conscious effort to keep this accessible for real music fans, and that respect for the audience set a brilliant tone for the whole day.

I wasn't overly familiar with The Slow Readers Club (8) before stepping into the park, but they proved to be a brilliant way to kick off the afternoon. You could see on their faces just how much it meant to them to be playing a massive hometown show of this size. They didn't shrink under the pressure; they grabbed the opportunity with both hands, delivering a sharp, driving set of dark post-punk that had the early arrivals moving early on.

Then came Slowdive (9). I’d somehow managed to miss seeing them live across all these years, so catching them on an outdoor stage like this was high on my list for the day. They were simply wonderful. Their lush, dreamlike shoegaze swept across the field as the evening sun started to dip and the crowd continued to swell from the traffic jams outside. Layers of shimmering, delay-drenched guitars washed over 35,000 people in a way that felt hypnotic, peaceful, and tailor-made for a summer evening.

By the time The Cure (10) wandered onto the stage, the field was packed solid as far as the eye could see. Robert Smith shuffled out to the edge of the stage, paused, and looked out with a expression that seemed genuinely surprised at the sheer size of the crowd stretching out in front of him. For a band that has been doing this for half a century, that humility and awe was fantastic to witness.

They opened with Alone, the sprawling lead track from their latest record. The long, atmospheric instrumental build-up built up a massive amount of tension across the park. When that music finally gave way to Smith's opening line "This is the end of every song that we sing" it sent an absolute chill straight down the spine. It was a dark, breathtaking entry point that locked everyone in instantly.

What struck me immediately, as it always does with this band, was Smith's voice. Decades into a punishing career, he sounds completely identical to the very first time I heard him on record. That voice acts like a total time machine. It immediately drags up decades of personal history, old friends, past gigs, long-lost times, and the raw emotion of growing up with this music as the soundtrack to your life. Sharing that cathartic moment with tens of thousands of other people, all singing along to every word, was something truly special.

The main set was a masterclass in pacing and stamina, balancing massive chart hits with darker album cuts. They glided through heavy classics like Pictures Of You, High, Lovesong, Burn, and a razor-sharp rendition of Fascination Street. The energy in the field spiked with In Between Days and Just Like Heaven, before they pulled out some rarely played gems like Treasure, a huge, unexpected treat for the diehards in the audience who recognized the intro straight away.

As darkness fell over Wythenshawe, the band dug deep into their darker, gothic repertoire. A towering version of A Forest had the entire field moving in unison to that iconic, hypnotic bassline, before closing out the main set with the emotional weight of From The Edge Of The Deep Green Sea and Endsong.

Between songs, Smith kept his banter to an absolute minimum, letting the music do all the heavy lifting. He summed up his entire philosophy perfectly at one point, noting to the crowd: "I can speak, but I just don’t have very much to say. It’s on the songs; that’s why we sing them." It’s a refreshing lack of ego that so many younger frontmen could learn a thing or two from.

Then came an extended encore that would have been worth the ticket price all on its own. They returned to rattle off hit after hit in a glorious, continuous sprint: Lullaby, Wrong Number, The Walk, Mint Car, The Lovecats, Friday I'm In Love, Close To Me, Why Can't I Be You?, and a triumphant Boys Don't Cry to wrap the night up. To hear a band deliver nearly thirty songs with that level of energy and pitch-perfect execution is nothing short of incredible.

My own rookie mistake in picking a hotel miles away from the main tram and coach routes meant a long, freezing wait for an expensive Uber at the end of the night. But standing in that field watching a band at the absolute top of their game made every single mile of travel hassle and every pound spent completely worth it. An unforgettable night.

A View From The O2: Hollywood Vampires (Spike)

The Hollywood Vampires & The Jesus and Mary Chain– The O2, London, 12.08.26



Walking into the O2 on a Wednesday night to see The Jesus And Mary Chain (10) on a support slot feels a bit strange. Anyone who knows my taste knows what this band means to me. 

From the noise and feedback of Psychocandy right through to the present day, they’re part of my musical DNA. So treating them as an opening act was always going to be a hard mental adjustment.

That said, Reid and company delivered a fantastic, albeit short, seven-song set. They didn't mess about. Opening with JAMCOD, they locked straight into that moody, feedback-drenched groove. Hearing April Skies, Blues From A Gun, and Some Candy Talking back-to-back in an arena was a treat, even if the room was still filling up. 

By the time they rolled through Happy When It Rains, Just Like Honey, and a menacing Reverence, they had shown exactly why their influence still hangs heavy over modern rock and shoegaze. They were in top form, and seven tracks honestly just left me wanting a full headline set.

I’d caught Alice Cooper out in Daytona earlier in the year, so I knew what to expect from him as the frontman for The Hollywood Vampires (8) a proper, full-fat rock 'n' roll spectacle. And they certainly delivered on that front.

The Vampires set is essentially the ultimate high-budget covers night celebrating dead friends and rock royalty, anchored by Alice, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen.

I was sceptical about Depp on guitar but he can play, he did a few vocals too but the mix didn’t do him any favours.

The band kicked off with a couple of their own songs I Want My Now and Raise The Dead before diving headfirst into a massive list of classics. Alice sounded great on I’m Eighteen, and the band pulled off a surprisingly dark rendition of Velvet Underground's Venus in Furs and Killing Joke’s The Death And Resurrection Show.

The covers kept coming thick and fast, Jim Carroll's People Who Died (where Ozzy probably got the biggest cheer of the night as he appeared on the film of all the people mentioned in the song was shown), Johnny Thunders’ You Can’t Put Your Arms Round A Memory, Aerosmith tracks, The Who's Baba O’Riley, and a massive crowd-singalong for David Bowie's Heroes. Closing out the main set with School’s Out blended into Pink Floyd’s Another Brick In The Wall was pure theatrical fun.

Then came the encore. Bringing out Ronnie Wood for The Train Kept A-Rollin’, The Rolling Stones' Brown Sugar, and Jeff Beck’s Hi Ho Silver Lining was a genuine surprise and a great moment to end on.

I went to the O2 specifically for The Jesus and Mary Chain, but the Vampires proved to be a thoroughly entertaining bonus. A solid night of classic riffs, nostalgia, and top-tier showmanship.

Reviews: Gorod, Mob Rules, Noveria, Cutthroat (Mark Young & Matt Bladen)

Gorod - The Ember Gone (Base Productions) [Mark Young]

There are some albums that set their tone very early on, its not so much a case of showing their hand almost straight away its more that they can’t help but put their accomplishments in the window. The Ember Gone is one of these albums where they assume you are onboard with them and with the music they are about to bestow upon you. Their lead off starts and we are off on this technical journey. Now, we know that sometimes technical can equal boring, due to the bands themselves forgetting that it has to excite you as a listener. 

Signs has this current running through it where they pull the technical approach in but base it over what you might say is a simple progression. And that is the key in this song being an absolute belter. Because it has that simplicity at its core, it allows them to embellish the song around it with some quality touches that mean more than just a flurry of notes without meaning. It lives up to their bio declaration with an outro solo that is fleet of finger but still has an emotional heft to it. 

Further confirmation of their approach as being basics first is Devise. Its how they knit the different pieces together so we end up a with a song with no frayed edges. It gets the riffs in and done then decides to play around with you. Its exceptional stuff really and while I’m assuming that there could be more ‘technical’ acts out there I don’t think that there are many who can build a song they do. Even the vocal melodies and the overall delivery is in step, its just a complete package which makes me review it so easy. 

Where they extend their songs out, such as on Forgiveness, that additional time is not wasted in meaningless noodling. Its used to further flesh their sound out, moving with a cosmic grace to it. I’m happy to say that they also bring in some fiendish low end riffing on this one and in the course of three songs they have casually dropped in one of the albums of the year. Absolutely no doubt in my mind.

Is there such a thing as a technical-progressive swagger? There is now and its running through this on every song. We look to describe music in lazy ways and I’m certainly guilty of that and if you asked me, I’d say fluid. Which is probably not the best term but there you go. There is no reduction in the intent or execution from them, the later tracks are as immediate as that initial kick off – Ignite being an example of bringing you death metal with a sunny edge. Honest, once it starts you will get it straightaway. 

Remains brings the whole thing to an end, and bookends a strong collection of technical, progressive music, one that doesn’t seek to overwhelm the listener with super crazy rhythms or by playing more notes than anyone else. They have a very simple approach, which to write good songs that define a base from which to leap off from but never forget that they have to return to that base at some point. They treat every song as a new trip, something for us to enjoy and you will enjoy it from start to finish. 9/10

Mob Rules - Stories From The Verdant Vale (ROAR) [Matt Bladen]

This one is all about the vinyl as Stories From The Verdant Vale continues the narrative established on 2025's Rise Of The Ruler, these are songs from those sessions, originally released as part of the special edition of that album, on CD.

They are now getting a second lease of life as a standalone piece, on vinyl as a full length record that features these five "new" tracks as the Side A and as and extra treat on the Side B a few re-recorded versions of older tracks featuring a few guests.

Because Stories From The Verdant Vale links to early Mob Rules records these bonus tracks are ones from that era, re-recorded in 2014 with Udo Dirkschneider, Amanda Somerville, City Somapala and Bernhard Weiß as guest vocalists to make them a bit more than just a standard re-record.

It's the originals that do the legwork here though from the orchestral overture of Savage Land Reprise, through the bouncy Euro Power metal of Master Of The Black Crow. Then from the theatricality of Masquerade Ball, the ballad Above The Maelstrom and the hard hitting Balance Of Power, Stories From The Verdant Vale is Mob Rules taking you back to the beginnings of their career through songs given a new chance to impress. 7/10

Noveria - Becoming After (Scarlet Records) [Matt Bladen]

The cinematic prog metal experience that is Noveria return with a new record of prog/power. There's something about Italy when it comes to progressive power metal as a lot of the biggest names in this hybrid genre such as DGM and Labyrinth hail from the Mediterranean.

However Noveria have been building their own legacy with a sound that draws from the heavier, moodier US style favoured by Symphony X, Dream Theater and Swedes Evergrey. They get darker again with Becoming After, with Middle Eastern tones beginning The Only Way, it bursts to life with downtuned riffs, orchestral swathes and keys/synths that bring depth.

This is the fifth album and features the talents of pianist and composer Mike Moran on the cinematic Through Your Light, keyboardist Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson) on Cold Flames and string arrangement/performance from violinist Abigail Stahlschmidt and cellist Luca Basile. Though the band themselves shouldn't be discounted as they are all virtuosos in their own right.

All of the guests add more layers to these already dense compositions from a group who can bring melodic wonder, sprawling soundtracks, industrial electronics and the heavier side of metal as well through occasional harsh vocals, Noveria stepping confidently into a new era after major line up changes on Becoming After. 8/10

Cutthroat - The Purge (M-Theory Audio) [Mark Young]

Hard Times takes little time in announcing exactly what you can expect from The Purge, a 5 track EP from LA hardcore outfit Cutthroat. If there was band that completely matched their bio description, its these. The opener is as straight as you could find, its built on a foundation of tightly driven riffs and a traditional hardcore vocal delivery, in as much it reminds me of Biohazard from their Urban Discipline days. Its aggressive, its focus is on battering the listener with what could only be described as a massive sound. 

Sick One comes in, again its perfectly acceptable as an example of what hardcore should sound like. Unfortunately herein lies the problem. Historically, I’ve never been a massive fan of this genre on record. I’ve always felt that the live shows are where this music lives and breathes because that crowd energy feeds back to the band and together, the songs dynamically change. I feel that this is the case here; these tracks will take on new life on stage.

Feeling Disconnected continues on that ferocious path laid down, but stays within the lanes already set out, and by this point they have effectively settled down into what feels like the same song, partially rebuilt to suit. I feel that I’m sounding unimpressed by the material on here, that’s not the case. As I’ve said its incredibly tight, and its all about stomping you with some pummelling riffing. 

If you take the title track, Purge, its heavy, and will tick all the necessary boxes required for metal. It’s just that it’s too similar to everything else on here. They close out with Bullet Proof Mind, and it shows that they have no intention of slowing down or backing off in terms of intent. It maintains that aggressive nature that has been in place since track one, without departing from their core sound.

There’s couple of ways of looking at this in terms of reviewing it; If you consider this purely on the strengths/weaknesses shown, then I would say that for fans of the scene hey will lap it up. They do everything that you want from hardcore, massive riffs, insistent approach delivered with an authentic focus on what works for them. You know that live, these will cause the crowd to go off, there is no doubt in my mind. My issue is that I’m not a fan, and it’s not done anything to change my mind. 6/10

A View From The Castle: Scarlet Rebels (Alex Tobias)

Scarlet Rebels, Hollow Souls, The Virginmarys, Marisa And The Moths & Juliet’s Not Dead, Chepstow Castle, 21.08.26

Having been lucky enough to capture a few gigs this summer at Cardiff Castle for their summer stretch of events, now that those are over I’ve switched over to another castle in South Wales — the fantastic and naturally atmospheric Chepstow Castle.

Tonight’s gig consists of Juliet’s Not Dead, Marisa And The Moths, The Virginmarys, Kris Barras’ Hollow Souls and our headliners, Scarlet Rebels. So, let’s pass through the huge entrance gates and go watch this night of rock.

First up this evening, we get North East rockers Juliet’s Not Dead (7), striding onto the stage with all the swagger of a band that deservedly broke into the UK Album Sales Chart Top 20 with last year’s This World Is Ours. This is a band that knows how to entertain — and has the songs to back it up.

From song one, the band deliver huge riffs and addictive melodies that have this crowd singing along right from the get-go. I can hear so many influences running through the band, but one I felt strongly in the big choruses they deliver was Coheed And Cambria, especially in the standout song of the set for me, Open Fire, from the band’s last album.

The crowd got tonight’s party off to a great start, singing out loud, “Take your aim and open fire,” along with plenty of dancing. The band look good live and have a real ease and stage presence about them.

A blinder of a start, and a new fan was made in myself after watching Juliet’s Not Dead tonight.

Having finally had some rain earlier in the day, it did stay dry for the evening, but it had that gloomy, half-and-half sky towering over the castle by the time Marisa And The Moths (7) came to the stage. This in no way impacted the performance we were about to get, but it just added to the aura bursting from the stage from the band.

Throughout the set, we are spoilt with some damn fine catchy songs. Marisa Rodriguez has a voice that is so sweet and tonally perfect, and then, in a bar, can switch to the pitch sensations of the rock end of the late, great Bonnie Tyler.

All together, the band have really good chemistry on stage, and there are plenty of solos to show themselves off amongst the pretty impressive range of songs on offer. We get fast alternative rock mixed with soulful, softer songs like Borderline from the band’s 2024 album What Doesn’t Kill You. Even this has a strong, heavy chorus that leaves you banging your head while feeling the emotions pouring from the lyrics.

Very impressed with the Reading outfit tonight on my first time seeing them. Huge roars from this crowd during the band’s after-set photo confirmed that for me.

After a nice little refreshment break and an awe-inspiring look at the castle grounds as it starts to get dark, our next band steps onto the stage to a huge roar from the crowd.

The Virginmarys (8) are a band that I have been looking forward to this evening, as I’m always intrigued by artists that balance having lots of members — or, in this case, have only two.

Having recently experienced the musical delights that are Soft Play, I was excited to see what vocalist and guitarist Ally Dickaty and drummer Danny Dolan can bring to tonight’s music.

Straight off the bat, we get song after song of pure grit and downright dirty soul oozing from the stage from both men. Raw grunge with a punk edge that compliments the nerve-striking lyrics, especially from songs like White Knuckle Riding, which talks about the struggle of having a long-term mental health problem and the ways it can keep you on a constant edge.

The visceral energy coming from Ally Dickaty during this song makes you stop and stare in the moment. A raw ride of in-your-face songs that doesn’t let up throughout the set, the pair feed off each other well, and it brings your eyes to the section of the stage they are on. It’s a very well-thought-out set but feels very natural and real.

Very much recommend catching The Virginmarys if you get the chance, near you or not.

Another short break for changeover and we almost come to complete darkness in this historical setting this evening. Next up onto the stage is the mighty Kris Barras with his blues-rock band, Hollow Souls (7).

As you can expect, the crowd went completely bonkers when Kris and the band got to the stage. Cheers and screams carried on throughout the first song and into the superb cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock And Roll for song two. The stacked line-up of talent in this band is very impressive. Vocalist Phoebe Jane is perfect throughout, with the powerful melodies, but also has such a soulful edge during the more laid-back songs.

I Need Fire, from the band’s 2025 debut EP, hits you in the feet and legs, forcing you to bop along to the driving grooves, then explodes with a real gritty solo from Kris as he makes his way close to the edge of the stage. The band don’t skip a beat with solos, keeping everyone here dancing and getting their groove on. The best thing I could say about the band live is that it feels like they have been together for over ten years.

Riffing off each other with ease and looking so happy to be playing music together, I very much enjoyed the bluesy rock change of pace. We all know how talented Kris Barras is, and with Hollow Souls this is a collective band that all look so happy to be cranking out soulful riffage together.

Twenty minutes pass and we now welcome to the stage tonight’s headliners to a huge applause and cheers from this Chepstow crowd: West Wales’ own Scarlet Rebels (8).

The band are greeted by lots of banners draped over the front barrier, with fans here going crazy from song one. Vocalist Wayne Doyle gives us strong and powerful notes galore from a band that has been on a long run of success in the past few years, with classic songs like This Is Happening Now and one that stood out for me, Take You Home from the band’s 2022 album See Through Blue — a song that screams huge rock riffs and carries a message about how music can really bring people together.

Being my first time seeing the band, I was very impressed by the smooth professionalism and just pure rock classic after classic throughout the set. We get the obvious Welsh connection with the crowd tonight, with this being a special gig in a fricking castle, but this is a band that can easily play literally anywhere in the world and just be pure entertainment for everyone watching and listening.

The stage show the band put on was flawless, and the backdrop was great, with the huge red heart framing drummer Gary Doyle, who bursts with energy and smiles non-stop throughout the band’s songs.

What a way to end a really enjoyable night in a Welsh castle.

Scarlet Rebels just confirmed to everyone here tonight why they should be playing big arenas around the globe often. The more chance people get to witness the best pure rock band Wales has to offer, the better.

A View From The Castle: Jimmy Eat World (Alex Swift & Chris Beyond)

Jimmy Eat World, Rise Against & The Get Up Kids, Depot Live, Cardiff Castle, 15.08.26

Alex Swift: Bleed American was a seminal album for Jimmy Eat World. The fact that it has remained an alternative rock staple for 25 years allowing the band to perform the record in its entirety at a sold out Cardiff Castle show, is testament to the strength of the songwriting, and the deeply earned emotional catharsis of its songs.

First up though, is The Get Up Kids (8). Most famous for their Something To Write Home About album, the band's pop-punk ragers make for a brilliant start to the day. I particularly appreciated the way the keyboards intersected with the guitars whilst never drowning each other out. Indeed, despite the fact that the crowd on the whole only recognise a smattering of their songs, it's evident from their performance that this is a band that has been performing for decades, and still carries the excitement from playing that they did on day one!

I couldn't write this review without saying a few words about Rise Against myself. The Chicago punk outfit has been one of my favourite bands for longer than I care to remember. And yet, by fate or happenstance, I’ve never seen them live before. It was one hell of an experience to throw myself into the mosh pit (a rare occurrence for me these days) whilst screaming every word back at Tim Mcilrath and co. They may have only had three quarters of an hour to play, but it was absolutely worth the sixteen year wait

Chris Beyond: How to distil the politically fuelled Rise Against (9) into a 7-song set list, playing within the beautiful backdrop of the Welsh Capital inside Cardiff Castle in a supporting role for Jimmy Eat World? Turns out the answer is quite simple, you give the fans what they want!

If you are a Rise Against fan aware of their extensive back catalogue, the set list speaks for itself. However, if you are not let me explain. The most current song on the setlist was from way back in 2011. Not that I don’t enjoy the new material, however, I am pleased that a band that had an opportunity to play current offerings to a large crowd and push the commercial sale of their new album said NO! Let’s give the good people of Cardiff, fast, rebellious (pertinently relevant) hits from the 2000’s.

Rise Against did they just that from the slow burning intro to the Re-Education Of Labour which set the tone for the next 30 mins leading into their anthem Satellite.

Wasting no time, straight into the relentless Give It All caused quite a dust-storm in the mosh pit. At the front the dust that refused to relent as they went straight into the well-known Ready To Fall and just as the mosh pit was catching its breath Tim asked if Cardiff had their dancing shoes on, before playing the best song in set list the very apt Prayer Of The Refugee refusing to let the (literal) dust settle straight into Good Left Undone.

Ending the set list with fan-favourite Savior, and with the current state of affairs within the world the crowd screaming; "I just want to save you, While there's still something left to save" at the top of their lungs, felt like a fitting way to end a short whistle-stop tour of the epic Rise Against.

It was not all perfect, as for reasons unknown, they were late on stage and after comparing set lists from the tour, Cardiff was deprived of 3 songs under the knife, help is on the way chamber in the cartridge, which hurts as chamber in the cartridge is a personnel favourite of mine.

Having seen Rise Against four times, I also wish Tim’s vocals were a little louder, with the mixing of the vocals a little off this time. The absence of three songs and the mixing issues aside this was Rise Against at maximum tenacity.

Alex Swift: Something I immediately notice about Jimmy Eat World (9) is how crisp, and clear they sound. You might say each song rings out with remarkable clarity. Moments in the vein of A Praise Chorus have me singing at the top of my lungs whilst Hear You Me see’s me sobbing into my overpriced Cider. I loved all these songs when I first heard them, but an element of them I appreciate as an adult is how multi-layered they are. Pieces like My Sundown swell from quiet to loud, working brilliantly in the festival-esque grounds of the castle.

Throughout their set Jim Atkins describes the process of writing songs and how they took him from obscurity to fame overnight - “I can't believe people still want to hear these songs 25 years later”. In one particularly touching moment he describes one of his earliest memories being playing a show with the Get Up Kids, and Rise Against.

In that sense, tonight's show feels like a celebration of everything these bands have achieved. They emerged onto the scene with defined sounds that would influence thousands of other bands. They stand on the stage tonight as elder statesmen, no longer at the forefront of the scene they helped give rise to, but revered nevertheless.