Album Reviews

For their sixth studio album, Gothenburg metallers Amaranthe make the jump from Spinefarm Records to Nuclear Blast Records, with the result; ‘Manifest’, being a masterclass in hook-laden bombast. One of the last bands to tour before the whole world turned to shit, Amaranthe must have been walking on air after …

Eschewing the traditional self-titled approach when it comes to naming a debut solo album, GRAMMY® Award-winning singer/songwriter, actor, and New York Times best-selling author Corey Taylor chose to put his own slant on the tradition by simply calling it ‘CMFT’. All caps. No mistaking the intent. This is an album …

Time to switch off Netflix, sign out of social media, and kiss the family goodbye for a few hours, for Arjen Lucassen has delivered another flawless, immersive Ayreon rock-opera which is going to take a few hours out of your life: ‘Transitus’. With a subject matter as old as time …

Went to McDonald’s earlier. Got a Chicken Legend with Cool Mayo meal, large of course, bag – yes, total cost; £5.44. To be honest, it wasn’t the best, the box had been put in upside down and the burger itself had fallen out, fries were a bit meh. Still ate …

After releasing their self-titled debut EP a few years back, followed by an appearance at the holy grail for stoner bands; ‘Desertfest’, London-based stoners Orbital Junction have rewarded the patience of their followers with the release of debut full-length platter: ‘Egos & Instincts’. Two years between debut EP and debut …

For many UK-based Ryan Hamilton fans, their first encounter with the amiable Texan was four years ago when Hamilton provided the stateside filling in a sandwich marked ‘Made In England’. Coming on after Massive Wagons had laid waste to the stage and before Ginger Wildheart tore the roof off with …

In 1996 when gig-goers had to bypass protestors picketing the first UK shows by Marilyn Manson, no-one could have foreseen that 24 years later he would still be top of his game and creating some of his best work. If anyone was destined to go down in a fiery ball …

Salisbury-based rockers Kiss The Gun return with album number two; ‘We See You’, the first to feature new vocalist Abigail Austin. Featuring a darker sound than debut album ‘Nightmares’, ‘We See You’ is an ambitious, lengthy album. An overall running time that just misses the fifty-minute mark, nine tracks in …

With Biffy Clyro catching some flak with a riskier “poppier” sound on new album ‘A Celebration of Endings’, and Twin Atlantic going down a similar path with the recent, and admittedly very good, ‘Power’ album; the time is perfect for a guitar-band from North of The Wall to steal some …

It’s a great barometer regarding the quality of an album when even after multiple listens, you can still discover something new each time. Take ‘Black Soul Vendetta’ from Midlands-based rockers Devilfire for instance, were the short, foreboding piano strikes on ‘Chasing The Pain’ always there? Ditto the gorgeous, layered melodic …