REVIEW: Struck/Down - Queue For The Cure
- Kelly Gowe
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Kent groove metal crew STRUCK/DOWN have been grafting for this moment. Since dropping From Demons back in 2021 and following it up with To Witches in 2023, they have quietly built a reputation through Bloodstock appearances and support slots with RAGING SPEEDHORN. Now they are stepping up properly with their debut full length, Queue For The Cure, landing 20th February 2026 as a self-release. If you sit somewhere between MASTODON, LAMB OF GOD, and the crunch of early 2000s METALLICA, you are going to want to pay attention.
Straight away, Queue For The Cure feels confident. Not over-polished, not trying too hard to prove a point. Just solid, groove-led heavy metal that knows exactly what it wants to be. Opener One Last Drag sets the tone with thick, coiled riffing that feels built for a packed venue with sticky floors and no breathing room. The guitars from PETE MCLARNEY and IAN SPURRETT lock in tightly, favouring weight and rhythm over unnecessary flash, which works massively in their favour. Previously released singles sit comfortably within the flow of the album rather than feeling like obvious streaming bait. The Slog still hits with that stomping persistence, all driving drums and clenched-teeth energy, while A Queue For The Cure leans into the band’s hookier instincts without sacrificing bite. There is a clear understanding here of how to write a chorus that sticks without softening the edges.
Latest single Leach is arguably the emotional core of the record. The band describe it as being about “today's abundance of fakery and fickle perspectives, artificial views, selfish uses of alleged kindness, a care coated sheep on a manipulative wolf.” It is a sharp concept, and the execution matches it. The main riff feels tense and slightly unhinged, like it is circling something ugly. LINDEN TWYMAN delivers the vocals with grit, but there is control underneath it. He is not just shouting for the sake of it. There is intention in the phrasing, especially when the track drops into more groove-focused sections that let the rhythm section breathe.
Lyrically, the band dig into emotional drain and the kind of low-level toxicity that creeps into everyday life. On Leach, they expand on “parasitic types exploiting the kind and the anxious,” which feels uncomfortably current. It is heavy music with something to say, but it never slips into preachy territory. The frustration feels real rather than performative.
Elsewhere, Who Stole The Sun? and Eat the Fear, Drink The Worry keep that darker introspection running, pairing weighty subject matter with riffs that feel deliberately grounded. Low gives bassist WILL MIHR more room to shine, bringing a thicker undercurrent to the mix, while This Tall to Ride injects a bit more pace and urgency to stop the album from settling into one tempo. Production wise, the album strikes a strong balance. Produced, mixed and mastered by PETE MCLARNEY, it sounds clear without feeling sterile. You can hear every instrument, but there is still grit in the edges. In groove metal, that balance is everything, and STRUCK/DOWN mostly nail it.
If there is room for growth, it is in pushing further beyond their influences. At times, you can clearly trace the DNA of their inspirations, and while that is not a bad thing, a few more risks would have elevated the record from strong debut to undeniable breakout. That said, this is a seriously assured first full length. With Queue For The Cure, STRUCK/DOWN prove they are not just another UK heavy band filling a slot on a festival line up. They have the riffs, the hooks, and the thematic weight to stick around. If you are into groove metal that feels current without forgetting where it came from, this one is absolutely worth your time.
Score: 8/10
Queue For The Cure will be self released on 20th February 2026.
Words: Kelly Gowe
Photos: Struck/Down
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