Album Reviews

After listening to thrash/death metal for over 30 years it takes a lot to surprise me anymore but Chesterfield based band Forgotten Remains are a welcome breath of fresh (or even fetid) air into the genres with their 3rd E.P Morbid Reality. Produced and recorded by Russ Russell they are …

Holy PHUQ! My album of 2016 has just blown me away. Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ live’ is the perfect example of how a live album should sound like, which is the feeling that you are at the show. In September 2015 The Wildhearts played 8 UK dates to …

Exo opens with the fourteen minute epic Uncharted. It’s a bold move by Monomyth, but one that defiantly pays off. It’s a sprawling, unfolding drama of music that adds layers upon layers of texture, to create a world of its own possibilities. The track builds until around the ten-and-a-half-minute mark, …

Sweden seems to churning out new, young melodic rock bands quicker that IKEA can produce new ranges of insanely practical items of furniture – and Wickman Road are the latest example of this production line of acts who also possess one infuriatingly common characteristic:  they’re bloody good at what they …

Swedish melodic rockers Featherstone trace their roots back to 2012. when  songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Rikard Quist decided that he had had enough of writing and playing for bands such as  Gypsy Rose, Don Patrol, Last Autumn’s Dream, White Wolf and Bangalore Choir and wanted to plough his own furrow.  Four years later, …

The original Stripped was a 1995 retrospective album where the Rolling Stones went back into the studio at the end of their world record breaking Voodoo Lounge tour. The Stripped project saw The Stones stripping back tracks from their back catalogue, complete with a couple of carefully chosen covers and …

Danish and American hard rock band Volbeat has returned with Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie, its sixth full length studio album, produced by Jacob Hansen. The disc is thirteen songs of tight, clear, hard rock glory, built on and expanded from the successes gleaned from 2013’s Outlaw Gentlemen and …

Having been trying to patiently wait until August for the release of Tarja‘s upcoming album ‘The Shadow Self‘, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear she was also treating us to an extra Prequel album whilst we wait ‘The Brightest Void‘. Kicking off with No Bitter End leading in with …

Hailing from Austin, Texas, Scorpion Child are bringing together psych and stoner Rock with a modernised twist. Since their self-titled debut album back in 2013, the band haven’t gone unnoticed, and have been involved in extensive worldwide tours alongside the likes of Monster Magnet, Clutch and Crobot, before announcing their …

Probably my favourite genre of rock/metal would be thrash for the sheer intensity it creates and Destruction are a fine example of this. Considered (and rightly so) to be in the top 4 of German thrash metal bands along with Kreator, Sodom and Tankard, their latest studio album Under Attack, …

The first sip of a perfectly poured pint of Guinness. The choreography of Riverdance. Sheamus’ Brogue Kick. The clash of the ash. Whatever way you look at it, Ireland packs a serious punch. Theories Divide can safely add themselves to the list. Formed in Dublin in 2008, the quartet have been …

The Few Step Digital Music Marketing Plan Releasing new music is always a special and exciting moment. You worked hard to create something that’s personal to you and now it’s time to share it with the world. But how do you get your tracks in front of as many people …

The Answer have certainly had a notable career to-date, and what better way to celebrate how it all started than with the re-release of their debut album, Rise, almost 10 years since it first hit the shelves. To this day, Rise remains the bands most successful album, selling over 100,000 …

American guitarist Paul Gilbert‘s latest studio effort, I Can Destroy, is a fun, uptempo rock album. The record’s 12 core songs (and one bonus track) are a treat to listen to. Jam-packed with good notes, for the legion guitarists anticipating the disc in hopes of busting their chops, it delivers …

On the 20th May, Flotsam and Jetsam released their album entitled Flotsam and Jetsam. This album marks the band’s 12th album release since their formation in 1981. As a band, Flotsam and Jetsam are intermittent in the way they hold my interest, my two favourite albums by them being No Place …

Anti-Nowhere League (ANL) are a British punk rock band well into their fourth decade. Despite numerous line-up changes and periods of inactivity, founding member and frontman, Animal is still keeping punk rock alive, With Shady on bass, Tommy H on guitar and newest member, Sammy Carnage on drums, making up the …

With the sludge scene becoming more and more recognised over time, lots of bands are carving out their own niches, while giving nods to older bands in the genre. False Gods are one such band. Wasteland opens with the almost primal drumbeats of Despot, which sound a little reminiscent of Walk With Knowledge Wisely by Crowbar. A heavy …

With underground sludge/stoner metal becoming more in focus over the past few years, two bands that have stood out amongst the wealth of talent are Gurt and Trippy Wicked, so a collaboration seems only natural, right? Guppy begins with the crushingly heavy Owlmegeddon by Gurt. Groove and balls is what this track boasts and it …

Staffordshire based trio Obey have been playing musical chairs since I last heard from them. Well, to be more correct, musical drum stools! Bassist Chris Poole has taken over drum duties following the departure of Matt Lane, so welcome Dan Ryder on bass guitar. New single ‘Gutless’ is a taster …

What’s the first thing you think of when I say Blackpool Rock? Something to get your teeth into? Something long pink and sticky? Now there’s some Blackpool Rock you need to get your ears into! Mass Vendetta is the latest album from Blackpool Punk/Rock Band The Senton Bombs released on 16th April …