Ten reviews you might have missed

Reviews from Friday 07 May 2021

Ghost Iris – ‘Comatose’

Denmark isn’t the first country that comes to mind when you think of metal, but it’s produced its fair share of talent over the years. Legendary acts like Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Volbeat, Mnemic, and more recently bands like the stunning Møl and the crushingly heavy Cabal –

Thursday 06 May 2021

Salem – ‘Salem II’

Will Gould seems to be on a crusade to single handedly revive the horror punk genre. Alongside his comrades in Creeper, he spins theatrical yarns of deeply layered tracks that have a whole generation experiencing ‘The Black Parade’ levels of mania – and now, with his side project Salem,

Friday 30 April 2021

Last Hyena – ‘How Soon Is Mars?’

There are several very different sides to progressive instrumental music, all equally as impressive and indulgent as the other. One is bursting with delicate and ambient dreamscapes, weaving a pattern with a variety of sonic textures that are able to whisk you away to another world and soothe

Thursday 29 April 2021

Lost At Sea – ‘Motion Sickness’

While their mission statement is to focus on that chaotic period of uncertainty in youth, Lost At Sea’s music is anything but directionless. Formerly known as Corusco, LAS are themselves at that point in their lives and, spurred on by “trying to find hope and meaning when

Gojira – ‘Fortitude’

You can make a strong argument that ‘Fortitude’ is the most anticipated metal release of the year. If you’re reading this, you won’t be wondering if you should check it out – you’ll already be waiting in impatient anticipation. You’re probably wondering; just how good is it? Oh, it’s

Wednesday 28 April 2021

Manchester Orchestra – ‘The Million Masks of God’

It has been almost four years since Manchester Orchestra released their stunning, if slightly under-appreciated, fifth album – ‘A Black Mile to the Surface’. For some, the prospect of them delivering a worthy follow-up was going to be a difficult task for the Atlanta group. Nevertheless, Andy Hull

Monday 26 April 2021

Remember Sports – ‘Like a Stone’

The past 18 months have provided plenty of time to think and take stock. Stifled by a lack of touring or pretty much anything else that makes being in a band special, a common theme persists through many releases in a post-Covid world. Reflection and analysing the nether reaches

Friday 23 April 2021

The Offspring – ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’

Just in time for the summer, punk rock veterans The Offspring return with their near decade long overdue tenth album ‘Let The Bad Times Roll’. The most chilled out band in California may be older, but they still know how to crank out cathartic melodies with a slashing of

Thursday 22 April 2021

glimmers – ‘Worlds Apart’

It can take a lot to make a mark in the world of pop rock – and in just one short year (that has, in fairness, felt like quite a long one), Atlanta quintet glimmers have made the most of a closed down pandemic world to introduce themselves in

Wednesday 21 April 2021

RedHook – ‘Bad Decisions’

If there’s one country we can always rely on to provide the goods when it comes to new music these days, it’s Australia – and with their fresh, eclectic sound, Sydney mob RedHook are no exception. Having released their first single back in 2018, it feels like a debut

Tuesday 20 April 2021

Harker – ‘Axiom’

Changing one’s sound can often be a bit of a gamble – take Architect’s latest album as an example. Although it might have topped the charts and created new fans aplenty, diehards have been less than thrilled, likening them to diluting an already stellar product to appeal to the

Friday 16 April 2021

The Armed – ‘ULTRAPOP’

If you have followed the career of The Armed, then you will know their existence has been clouded in mystery… until now. With album number four, ‘ULTRAPOP’, the Detroit-based collective have pulled off the veil by revealing themselves to be an eight-piece. Well, that’s at least publicly. Guitarist and

Thursday 15 April 2021

While She Sleeps – ‘SLEEPS SOCIETY’

Beyond the creative expression, the hunger to perform and release tension, the indescribable feeling of being able to travel the globe and see everything it has to offer, there is one very important thing that bands and artists cannot live without. One integral component of the machine, the

Wednesday 14 April 2021

Softcult – ‘Year Of The Rat’

Canadian twins Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn are championing music that effusively counters the misogyny and sexism that is all too often felt by women in a mostly male-dominated music industry. With their debut EP ‘Year Of The Rat’, they’re taking the first steps into a movement that’s

Hail The Sun – ‘New Age Filth’

In the music world you don’t often have to look far to find woe-filled tales of addiction, and Hail the Sun know it. The Californian five-piece detailed their struggles on their 2018 album ‘Mental Knife’, but the story doesn’t end there. Of course, addictions never take place in isolation

LIVE: Black Peaks @ The Brighton Centre

Live streams are bloody weird, aren’t they? It’s like being at a gig, but you’re in your pyjamas, your beer is cold (and probably didn’t cost you six pounds), and your nostrils aren’t full of that unmistakable mix of sweat, farts and booze. Basically, it’s not as good. Is

Tuesday 13 April 2021

Holding Absence – ‘The Greatest Mistake of My Life’

It’s hard to believe that Holding Absence are only just releasing their second album. Having built up a fanbase whose devotion and passion would rival the likes of those in the pop world, you might expect this band to have a back catalogue just as long, too.

Out Of Love – ‘Funny Feeling’

Forming a band one month before a global pandemic forces the world to completely shut down is far from ideal. While timing wasn’t on their side, London five-piece Out Of Love are a case study in how, once again, timing isn’t always important when it comes to

Monday 12 April 2021

Muttering – ‘Don’t Think About It’

“Songs For The End Of The World”. These are the first words you’re likely to read about London trio Muttering, should you happen to look them up online, so it seems only fitting that we continue the trend as we dive into their debut EP, ‘Don’t Think About It’.

Havelocke – ‘Arsonist’

Sheffield has a history of producing stellar rock and metal bands, and Havelocke are one of those bands looking to further the Steel City’s musical legacy with their second outing following 2019’s introductory EP, ‘This Is Havelocke’. Bordering on imitating early 2000’s post-hardcore and emo, its four tracks showed