Album Reviews

“I’m a rock and roll party cowboy/And I ain’t gonna read no Tolstoy/Coz I’m a rock and roll party cowboy/And I ain’t going to eat no Bok choy.” Enter the well-worn phrase, “The Darkness are back” right about now. Except that’s not exactly true because Suffolk’s most famous sons have …

While admittedly not as much of a potential minefield as jazz music, the blues genre is still capable of tripping someone up and bringing the wrath of the dreaded gatekeepers down upon them. The kind of gatekeeper who for some inexplicable reason decides to shout “Play some blues” at the …

After the monstrous success of their 2021 debut album Eternal Blue, Spiritbox have quickly turned from everyone’s best kept secret to a household name within the metalcore scene. A few tours around the world and hundreds of millions of streams later (plus an appearance on a Megan Thee Stallion track, …

In a recent post on his social media account, Ginger Wildheart declared “Crazy day. Ended up in a pub. Bit pissed. I only play my own stuff when I’m drunk. Will report on my findings.” What followed was his brief musings on some albums from his past; the ‘Mutation’ album was …

Tobias Sammet returns with Avantasia for his musical collective’s 10th studio album, ‘Here Be Dragons’, Sammet’s first album for his new label, Napalm Records. And although it begins in the same manner as previous albums ‘Ghostlights’ (2016), ‘Moonglow’ (2019), and ‘A Paranormal Evening with the Moonflower Society’ (2022) – each …

15 seconds into ‘I Had A Name’ is all it takes to realise how crucial bassist/multi-instrumentalist/producer Eric Bass is to American multi-platinum rockers Shinedown. Once the gorgeous lilting melodies of the atmospheric opening track ‘A World Unseen’ fade away and Bass’s keyboard touches spring to life; his influence within Shinedown …

After the Scottish band Yashin announced their two final shows back in 2016, the UK alternative music scene lost an incredibly unique and special group – in particular, one that was so frustratingly underrated to the point that, if you were a fan of them, then they were automatically your …

Switzerland’s Paleface Swiss are back with their third full-length album, ‘Cursed’. ‘Cursed’ marks a change for the four-piece. It’s their first album to be released under the new name (they added ‘Swiss’ in 2023), but also the first to feature Cassiano Toma on drums. Coming in at just under half …

With the members of Scottish quintet The Breathing Method being – and said with respect – that bit older than the average fledgling band, they have the advantage of life experience. This shows throughout the debut album ‘After Everything Else’. ‘Demons’ is a strong example of this. Perhaps in the …

Mark Tremonti is a lifer. For him, this is not a fad or a trend. Metal is for life. It’s easy to imagine the likeable guitarist singer/songwriter standing in line outside his local wax emporium on Record Store Day to pick up a rare vinyl from acts like Celtic Frost, …