ALBUM REVIEWS

Alt-rock newcomers THISTLE. are releasing their new EP backflip on 29th May. Right from the start, the song pieces creates a complex, genre-bending mix that immediately defines the sound of the record. From synths to heavy drums and almost shoegazy vocals, the track is able to capture the energy of the EP really well. The song feels dark and introspective, underlined by mythical sounding synths and layered instrumentals that slowly build into something chaotic yet emotional.

Finding the words to describe Glasgow duo DOSS is a difficult job; their genre-blending style combines distorted rhythms, ambient electronics, and a dash of social commentary into something fresh and unexpected. They’ve played shows alongside the likes of DEADLETTER and FAT DOG, and soon, they’ll be putting out their self-titled EP DOSS. It’s fittingly titled: when you think ‘DOSS’, you should think this EP. Starting off the record in an incredibly ominous fashion is PREFACE,

There’s always been something untouchable about STATIC DRESS. Not in a distant, polished way, but in the sense that they’ve never quite played by the same rules as everyone else. Since their inception, the UK quartet have built more than a band. They’ve built a universe: stitched together through graphic novels, glitching visuals, cinematic storytelling, and a noir-soaked lore that runs through everything they touch. It’s music as mythology, but also music as escape — until n

When SHOOTING DAGGERS headlined charity fundraiser, Punks For Palestine, less than a month ago, it was clear that shouting about the issues that matter to them was their oxygen. The release of their new seven-song, twenty-minute ‘mini-album’ The Real Life Thing is no exception to this rule. The abrasive London trio live and breathe supporting their community, uplifting queer voices and taking the fight to the underground. In their most genre-diverse and experimental release y

Emerging from the influential depths of horror films, dark industrial synthwave, and a mix of 80s dance tracks, San Diego’s new answer to haunting darkwave I WILL DESTROY YOU are set to release their debut EP Dead Before Dawn. But for those with a familiar ear or anyone who’s been on the scene for a while, you’ll know this isn’t the musicians’ first forays into the music world, the band formed from the likes of AMENITY, ILYA, and CRUSHED ON YOU to name a few. These seasoned a

“Committed”, “connective”, “control freaks” - all words used to describe London based SAINT AGNES, and aptly so given their self-made upward momentum over the last 8 years, carving out their space to create a sound that sets them entirely apart from anyone else. While they’ve successfully instilled their mark with their distinctive sound of raw industrial rhythms and arcane elegance, their purely raw energy and infectious body-moving beats, and their impassioned lyrics so man

Coming from Skövde, Sweden is screamo act KID, FERAL. Making a return to recorded music that’s awfully long-awaited - their first album was released in 2018 - follow-up 2019 was recorded all across the period since LP1 and now. The eight tracks across 2019 are shaped by hardships, failed relationships, serious injuries, and personal ruin. Written largely during the band’s youth but released at what they’ve called the ‘dawn of their middle age’, the album reflects years of per

Manchester’s underground metal scene has never lacked intensity, but with The Final Nail, BEYOND SALVATION sounds ready to push themselves far beyond local acclaim and into far heavier territory. After years of sharpening their craft through EPs, relentless live shows, and support slots alongside some of the UK’s most respected heavy acts, the band’s long-awaited debut full-length arrives with all the force you would expect from a group that has spent years building momentum

Consisting of members of some seriously big names in heavy music, ABLATION is the new death metal supergroup that you need to listen to. The iconic NY death metal scene is one that needs no introduction for long-time listeners of extreme metal, and so a band with members from SANGUISUGABOGG, SUFFOCATION and DEHUMANIZED should feel right at home. Their first release, the EP Lethal Abuse, is a six track hit-and-run intent only on causing sonic decimation - luckily enough, the t

When it comes to the current state of hard rock, there are bands who focus on creating really catchy, albeit bland-sounding music with a structure that people are used to. This is fine, but this isn't something that'll make you stand out. This is where SHINEDOWN come in. With EI8HT, the band, who have never been more popular, will be marking the release of what is their most unique, and varied album yet. With 18 songs on the tracklist, this is the American four-piece at their

Breaking down all expectations of how math and prog-rock should sound together without a single word spoken on the record, Bristol-born MAEBE have continued to meld a multitude of genres into the sound of their new album Brain Paint, a trove of meticulously produced and experimental tracks that can’t be boxed into one description. Recorded across Bristol’s Humm Studio and band founder and leader Mike Astley-Brown’s bedroom, Brain Paint sees their return to the multi-genre mag

Humour is an extremely difficult thing to get right in metal. It almost feels as though extremely intricate performances shouldn’t go anywhere near comedy, you’d expect them to be completely at odds, otherwise you can quickly veer into self-parody. There’s two ways to avoid this that come to mind. The first is to use the songwriting and song structure itself as a vessel for the band’s sense of humour to come through. The other is to be Serj Tankian. For most people, the firs

The uproarious Belgian band BEAR are back and better than ever on latest EP Anhedonia, blending their groovy mind-melting mathcore with moments of calm, and violent whiplash between them. The four-piece recorded the entire thing live in the studio together, as one band playing with every ounce of energy you can feel in the music. Coming off of the back of a fantastic release in Vanta, it was going to be tough to top it but the Belgians have gone hell for leather on the follow

Few can say they’ve had as explosive a debut as Venice Beach based hardcore punks XCOMM; only fully formed in 2025 and barely out the gate, they’ve already made their mark in the hardcore scene with their ‘fuck around and find out’ sound, and lyrics that speak to the indignant youths facing injustice as well as the older punks still fighting the everyday bullshit machine. Fresh from signing to Blowed Out Records and supporting FOO FIGHTERS at their sold out charity show in Ja

Sometimes a band comes along and somehow make the world feel a little lighter and a little different. For the past two decades, SPARTA have done exactly that. With their latest album Cut A Silhouette, the El Paso trio add another emotionally charged chapter to their ever-growing catalogue. For those unfamiliar with SPARTA, the band fuse melodic guitar rock anthems with angst-ridden songwriting, balancing raw emotion with soaring instrumentation. Their 2002 debut Wiretap Scars

After four decades of performing classic metal music, a regular Joe would struggle to keep things fresh - that’s certainly not the case for ARMORED SAINT, who are once again injecting new life into the classic rock scene with their upcoming album Emotion Factory Reset. Proudly proclaiming they’ve “never repeated ourselves” and that each album “is a snapshot in time”, Emotion Factory Reset demonstrates this well with sounds that resonate with the older fans, but featuring a mo

WREX aren’t just refusing to slow down, they’re torpedoing through the nu-metal-alt scene at breakneck speed, with the release of their new EP SADWORLD. Following a year of non-stop grafting and touring and the promise of another stacked year, whilst finding the time around their 2025 touring slots and everyday life to record the tracks, SADWORLD isn’t just an impressive feat of the band’s production skills and ability to think outside of the box, it’s a journey of emotions f

CQ WRESTLING’s second studio album, Resistance, is set to release on 22nd May, packed with emotional and vulnerable tracks that mix grunge with touches of post-punk. The first song on the album, Pacifico, is a perfect opener. A melodic, almost hypnotic riff leads us into the song and keeps us captivated throughout, while the rest of the instrumentals remain relatively simple. The same can be said for the vocals, which fit the song perfectly. Through this simplicity, the vocal

One of the most promising newer alternative bands, ALT BLK ERA are set to release their newest EP, Our World. After their debut album Rave Immortal, the young band from Nottingham is continuing their journey to the top with a brand new genre-bending project. Tissues is an intimate start to the EP. The track dives into vulnerability and captures what it feels like to be overwhelmed by the world. The chorus portrays this feeling really well with lines like: “Everything’s messed

Sadness does not announce itself with bloodied knuckles and a boot through the door. It is quieter than that. Perhaps crueller, as it seeps in the corners of a room like melancholic damp, turning the wallpaper soft with memory; it makes the floorboards creak with the weight of every ghost you tried to bury beneath them. It does not scream because it does not need to. Patient and pale, until the air curdles around you with what was said and what could never properly be spoken,