Chaotic, aggressive, ferocious yet equally danceable—this is the most accurate way to introduce TRIP VILLAIN as they unleash their debut album Dose. Formed in 2021 in Brooklyn, New York, the quartet pull from a wide spectrum of influences, fusing them into a psychedelic, doom-laden strain of industrial metal. They show no restraint in crossing genres mid-riff or mid-section, creating a volatile cocktail—abrasive, unpredictable, and at times overwhelming, yet strangely intoxic

Titans of emo, AMERICAN FOOTBALL started out in 1999 as mostly clueless unbridled teenagers. After their reunion 15 years later to release two new records, the band have lain low once again, practically up until recently. American Football (LP4) is undeniably the band's most mature and honest work yet, to the point that one could even be taken aback by their bluntness at the first listen. It is also the darkest and eeriest out of the four records, which is reflected by the ap

There’s something unique about The Far Fallen Fruit, the first studio release from the American hardcore band GOTTLIEB. It manages to feel comfortable within traditional hardcore punk, reminiscent of bands like REFUSED, while also diving into the depths of post-punk emotion. The album successfully conveys both styles and combines them into a new, unique listening experience. But it isn’t just a good listen, it’s highly political and doesn’t shy away from showing us the harsh

Three decades of pioneering metal music would feel exhausting to any band worth their salt, but metal legends SEVENDUST are more charged up than ever, as they gear up to release their landmark 15th album One via Napalm Records on 1st May. One isn’t just a testament to SEVENDUST’s notorious career over such a period, nor is it simply a tribute to their devoted fanbase, fondly called the 7D Army. It’s a statement of the new heights their sound has reached, with soaring powerhou

There’s a version of Theft World that probably could’ve existed where LIP CRITIC doubled down on what previous album, Hex Dealer started - more chaos, more sharp left turns, more of that “anything goes” energy that made them such an immediate talking point. Instead, this feels like a deliberate shift. Not a retreat from that previous intensity, but a refinement of it into something more focused, more suffocating, and in a strange way, more purposeful. A lot of that comes down

CAGE FIGHT are on the rise and continuing to climb the ladder of success. Born out of the Covid lockdown, musicians came together to create a bedroom project that has evolved into something rather special in the world of femme fronted metal. After recently finishing a tour supporting EMPLOYED TO SERVE, they are now releasing their sophomore album Exuvia. Using a word like 'exuvia' as a title reflects not only the meaning of the word; the outer shell that sheds by creatures g

THE FLATLINERS don’t reinvent themselves—and they don’t need to. What they’ve built over two decades is a sound that refuses to lose urgency. Cold World is proof of that: a record that doesn’t feel polished into submission, but sharpened by time. Ska-infused punk with bite, momentum, and something to say. Hailing from Ontario, Canada, they’ve stayed unchanged for over twenty years. Same core. Same intent. That matters more than people admit. Unchanged and unapologetically aut

Hailing from the Isle of Man, SILO emerged in a landscape where life moves slowly and creative opportunity doesn’t exactly knock. With no established scenes or circuits to plug into, the band was moulded by the island’s stillness and separation. Rather than looking outward, they channelled that isolation into their work, forging a sound that’s equal parts abrasive, melodic, and deeply human. The band came together in the post‑Covid lull, when five long‑time friends, - Kriss

The Isle of Wight–based indie band UGLY OZO release their second EP, dive, on May 1st. The band blends raw feminine energy with gritty riffs and a strong dose of punk noise. Across this five-track record, Jessica Baker and her band take us on a journey through her experiences and emotions. The EP opens with their first single, released back in January, hi, how are you? At first glance, it comes across as a raw indie punk track. A soft, minimalist verse leads into a build up t

Some records feel like escalation; others feel like endurance. Still Suffer sits firmly in the latter - an album that doesn’t try to outrun the past, but stares it down, shoulders squared, jaw tight, and dares it to swing first. Over twenty years in, it’s clear TERROR aren’t interested in reinvention. We’ve got ten tracks, each one a pressure point for the unpolished truth that is shouted directly into your face. From the first few seconds of Erase You From My World, that tru

There’s a certain kind of ending that feels too clean to be honest, and neverland [CHAPTER II] actively resists that. Instead of closure, it offers something far less comfortable — a sense of continuation disguised as an ending, where growth feels unresolved and reflection borders on relapse. On the final instalment of the neverland arc, SINCE 2000 don’t just revisit the themes introduced in CHAPTER I — they pull them apart, exposing the fractures underneath identity, healing

In sophomore EP sorry about the plague is where Brighton quartet KNIFE BRIDE dial up the theatre to craft a narrative that starts with moreish character building and finishes with raw vulnerability. Across its five tracks, there are polished fusions of angsty metalcore guitars and screechy synths that carry the cheek of Mollie Clack’s vocals well, as well as the religious imagery plastered all over the EP’s titles and lyrics which lend to themes of sinning, confession and for

VLMV, pronounced “Alma”, is a decade-spanning project fronted by composer Pete Lambrou. It’s hard to nail down exactly what category or box their music falls into - even Lambrou himself defines it as “ambient-ish post-something”. Ambient is definitely the name of the game here, even the post-rock acts that you can hear some level of influence from, like Sigur Rós feels like a reach to compare them to the second you look past the string arrangements. So naturally, new album Th

There’s a fine line between staying true to your roots and becoming a parody of them — and over thirty years in, DFL still sound like they’d rather crash and burn than play it safe. Fuck It is exactly what the title promises: loud, fast, messy, and completely uninterested in anyone’s expectations. There’s no reinvention here, no attempt to modernise — just pure, unfiltered hardcore energy delivered with the kind of reckless confidence most bands lose within a few years. From

There’s no grand reinvention here, no desperate lunge toward relevance. What THE AMITY AFFLICTION deliver on House of Cards is something far less marketable and far more vital: clarity under pressure. Not polished, not pretty—just brutally, unavoidably clear. Where Not Without My Ghosts felt like a band proving they still had teeth, House of Cards is what happens after the fight is over and the bruises have settled in. This is the sound of survival without the victory lap. Fr

There’s a particular kind of tension that only exists in bands who still feel like they have something to prove—not in a performative sense, but in the way every note sounds like it’s being dragged out of them in real time. That’s exactly where ROMAN CANDLE operate on this full-length: a record that doesn’t just document growth, but captures the friction it took to get there. Emerging from Las Vegas’ desert underground, the four-piece have always leaned into emotional extrem

PORTRAYAL OF GUILT ’s …Beginning of the End feels less like a collection of tracks and more like a deliberately mapped collapse, where each song doesn’t just follow the last but actively mutates it. Released via Run For Cover Records, it pushes their blackened hardcore and industrial-leaning sound into something more structured, more suffocating, and more controlled in its intensity. Rather than relying on chaos alone, the album is built on progression through erosion — eve

When a frontman leaves a band that once felt like a fortress, many would expect his next steps to be a repetition of his previous success, playing it safe and settling back into familiarity. Ex- BLIND CHANNEL Joel Hokka’s debut, under the name HOKKA, chooses to do the complete opposite: Via Miseria IV is a record that looks back without living there, trading the past for something darker, more considered, and theatrically alive. Joined by legendary guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi

After the last few years of non-stop touring, a changing lineup, and the devastating state of the world, no one should be surprised by DEATH LENS latest album release being a cathartic liberation for the Southern Californian 4-piece. A project that examines breakups, fascism in the US, and self-worth, What’s Left Now? is an album that epitomises the feeling of the world being against you, even yourself. Released through Epitaph Records on 24th April, What’s Left Now? is the c

I Know A Place , the debut album from KROOKED TONGUE , feels like a record that understands its own identity from the start. It does not try to do too much, but it never feels limited. Instead, it focuses on strong songwriting, clear structure, and a balance between energy and restraint that keeps the album engaging the whole way through. There is a consistency to it that makes it easy to sit with, but also enough variation to stop it from blending into itself. For a debut, i