Valentine's day may be coming up, but here at Out of Rage, the only thing we're falling in love with is the wealth of new music coming out lately. Here's what we've been listening to: The Amity Affliction - House of Cards THE AMITY AFFLICTION have released their first single from their upcoming album of the same name HOUSE OF CARDS! This song marks the start of a new era and sets the tone for what they have to bring to the table. The track opens atmospheric and echoing with electronic components filling the spaces in the back ground. JOEL BIRCH comes with his melodic vocals as the instrumentals morph around him building into a screaming prechorus. The end of the second verse breaks into a pounding breakdown, a jumpy beat with a chanting vocal line, the kind perfect for a crowd to all shout together. This track is lined with everything metalcore is all about and is in line to become a well known banger, it just makes us amped for what more the album can give! Words: Amy Smyth Bilmuri - Twice With the announcement of a brand new album, BILMURI have released the track TWICE for a taste of what's to come. The track is jumpy with thick guitars lining the beat and the lyrics are, as expected, extremely catchy. Of course the track had to include a glorious saxophone solo from GABI ROSE becoming a bit of a signature on the BILMURI sound. Featuring a breakdown that you can envision being sung along together with a crowd at all their live shows in 2026. The song is at the core what BILMURI is, it's their self made signature sound that resembles everything the band is and is totally unique to them. With a huge 2026 lined up already they've announced the new album, a brand new world tour and many festivals as well as a few more shows opening for BAD OMENS, this is about to be their year! Words: Amy Smyth Delilah Bon - ILLEGAL ALIENS After making the difficult but necessary decision to cancel her upcoming US tour, DELILAH BON has released brand new track ILLEGAL ALIENS, as a heavy response to the current human‑rights violations happening across the Atlantic, as well as echoing through our streets and our homes. ILLEGAL ALIENS is a quintessential protest song; angry, emotional but full of truth, a call out to all to stop just watching and start acting - “I’m scrolling my phone and feeling so helpless just waiting for someone to act. The release is already facing regional censorship and the audio is being muted on social feeds showing just how much we need songs like this in 2026. Words: Lou Viner-Flood Knocked Loose - Hive Mind (ft. Denzel Curry) KNOCKED LOOSE have had the pleasure of being quite well known for a while now but after their recent performances in the mainstream eye and the release of their 2024 album doing incredibly well, they're bigger now more than ever. HIVE MIND is their first track released since the 2024 album and it features none other than American rapper DENZEL CURRY. The track brings the well known chaos that KNOCKED LOOSE add to anything they touch, then switches to a trap beat, going back and forth between the styles of the two artists featured before finally mashing them together when DENZEL comes in for a fire verse over the catastrophic metal instrumental. A KNOCKED LOOSE track would be nothing without an insane breakdown, this one lead by DENZEL and the line "when I say jump you gon' motherfucking jump bitch" which had jaws dropping here at Out Of Rage. The chorus is extremely catchy, the breakdown is brutal, there's nothing the song is missing, we would love to see this become a legendary track just like past KNOCKED LOOSE releases. Words: Amy Smyth Shoreline - Youthfully Naive Next month up and coming emo punk band SHORELINE will be releasing their 4th full length album Is This The Low Point Or The Moment After? and have released the track Youthfully Naive in advance. The track is nostalgic and reminiscent of all those early 2000s punk bands we grew up with. The lyrics touch on the pains of being young and naive; it's almost an emotional listen. The song lacks much structure and doesn't really let you know where it's going next, creating an interesting listening experience. The bridge has layered soft vocals before dropping back into the addictive chorus. The number patters out into an instrumental with a last "it must be so overwhelming" from the chorus leaving you wanting more. With the release of their album and shows lined up for the album release we're very excited to see what they do next! Words: Amy Smyth Skindred - This Is The Sound The second tantalising teaser for SKINDRED’s soon-to-be releasing April You Got This album, This Is The Sound that even after all this time still makes us go crazy. Every new track of theirs must compete with a truly venerable, legendary discography – but the groovy thunder on display here well shows the ragga metal mavericks are still far from done with us. On the catchier spectrum, this sound still dreams of a burning Babylon while enlisting a rumbustious refrain sure to be stuck in your head and get your body bouncing. The classic sound is all still here: hearty ragga-blasting bars still riding the lightning of SKINDRED’s patented devilish drumming, simply well-tuned to the modern scene style. Words: J.T. Czaicki Varials - The Hurt Chamber Just 3 weeks away from the release of their 4th full length album, VARIALS have released the 6th track on the run up. Coming from the heart of the album, it’s a meaty number that really gives us a sneak peak to what the whole album can offer. The track opens ominously before bursting devastation with echoing vocals and maximum distortion. Switching between highs and lows the contrast gives the listener whiplash. The breakdown brings quick blast beats, a thick twangy bassline and drum beats that give the drums a voice of their own. The last sections bring together screams and airy vocals, layered together making them quite frankly addictive. If this track is anything to go by, the album will be something to behold. Words: Amy Smyth Editor: Naomi Colliar Duff Photos: Various Artists

ANGEL DU$T are a true underground gem, having been releasing fantastic music for a decade and playing for even longer. With a roster of current and former members as long as the average football team, they’re a true hardcore punk project of DIY community love, and that exact idea pervades new record COLD 2 THE TOUCH - from new members joining, to old members still helping write, and a number of exquisite guest appearances, the list of contributors is seemingly never ending. New to the fold are guitarist JIM CARROLL, of AMERICAN NIGHTMARE and THE HOPE CONSPIRACY, as well as drummer NICK LEWIS. Whilst there’s a notable edge to the band that has not necessarily felt quite this pronounced due to CARROLL's input, this does nothing to dampen the incessantly high spirits of their music, and in fact acts to hone their direction on tracks like Dust when the music swells. LEWIS simply finds himself running the pocket like nobody’s business, holding the band together and finding groove and making them that much more infectious, even as he produces high-octane drum lines that draw from both hardcore and pop punk. As always, they run the gamut of sounds and genres - one moment able to compare to BAD BRAINS or GORILLA BISCUITS, and the next closer to ALICE IN CHAINS than anything else, before sharply veering into TURNSTILE territory, and plenty more. The entire LP feels like one great exploration of everything good and fun within rock n’ roll, never sitting still for more than a moment and embracing every twist that presents itself to them. Each song is a new listen and should be treated as such, yet the whole album manages to be entirely cohesive in a way it frankly should not be. From the title track’s upbeat punk attitude and gang vocals, to the grungy start of Man On Fire, and the enormity of final track The Beat’s sledgehammer riffs, ANGEL DU$T prove themselves replete with talent even amongst the vast experience of contributors like FRANK CARTER, TAYLOR YOUNG, WEZ EISOLD and PATRICK COZENS. Track four Jesus Head starts out in a blissful haze of surf rock tone, where Downfall brings a stomping beat, even as Nothing I Can’t Kill approaches the listener like a post-hardcore version of what’s come before, and Zero swings for the tip-top of 90’s alt rock with a hardcore heart. Every moment feels fresh and new, never once stopping to consider what to do other than to carry on forwards. The energy and enjoyment is palpable, and the dedication to the scene they’ve come through and grown with is joyous to witness, along with the ceaseless opportunities given to others within it to show themselves off. ANGEL DU$T are of course heroes within hardcore, but hopefully this album will break out a little bit to give them more recognition from the wider music community, as this band have been owed their flowers for some time and it would only be right to receive them for an album this brilliant. Score: 9/10 COLD 2 THE TOUCH will be released on 13th February via Run For Cover Records Words: Jasmine Longhurst Photos: Angel Du$t

London's very own DEATH OF YOUTH are back with Nothing Is The Same Anymore, their second full length album since their debut in 2018. Having been almost five years since their last release, the band’s progression and improvement is all portrayed through this nine track album. It takes you through all walks of genres, the foundation being hardcore, but with influences drawn from all over like Midwest emo, screamo and 2000's post hardcore. The band only has a small following that does not at all reflect the talent and care put into this album, underrated isn’t a word we like to use lightly but it seems necessary to describe this band as so. Desensitised opens with crashing waves of growing riffs before the desolate screaming joins the chorus. The lyrics explore the themes of the media desensitising the public to the horrid goings on in the world, being extremely relevant to the current times. The minor riffs perfectly paint the rage and helplessness that the lyrics speak with amounts of distortion that make the sound feel as grand as an ocean that drowns the listener. As the first track set the tone for the album, the second track Rumination continues the desolation, with a shorter runtime but a faster beat, the riffs cycle round feeling like a churning stomach. The song changes tempo half way through switching to a jumpier beat flawlessly switching between the two bpms, then ringing out at the end of the track. Fix Your Heart or Die is the only track that has been released before the album, it draws more influence from those nostalgic 2000's post hardcore guitars. The number is very catchy and is clear to see why this was the pre-released track and is probably the most notable from the album for us at Out Of Rage. Around the two minute mark it drops into a half time breakdown and a chorus of screaming vocals, creating a grand feeling of doom and longing. Bystander opens more mellow than the rest of the album and is then followed by a spoken monologue as the music builds behind it. The monologue bashes the justice system and calls for revolution before jumping into hardcore chorus as the vocals morph to screams of frustration. The last minute builds and builds, the kind of lines you can picture a packed sweaty venue all shouting together. The fifth track brings the biggest change in the album so far with The Inverse of Patriotism leaning more towards a punk aesthetic. The song is fast paced with rampant drums and distorted guitars, the song has a disrupted structure giving no clues to what's happening next. Invertebrate leads with a nostalgic guitar riff, extremely reminiscent of those that lined the early lives of most alternative fans. At this point in the album, many of the songs do seem to meld into each other but that's not a knock to the quality of each of them individually. Each track is well produced and is a great display of composition and talent but the band would definitely benefit from branching out to different sounds and genres. Performance Art features more solo guitar sections and brings in a different beat with a hint of an electronic bass to add to its building bridge section. The breakdown is catastrophic with lines you can picture fans screaming together with the artist which leads to the end of the song, pattering out and leading into the next. Castle Rock melds together two vocal tones we've heard in the rest of the album with screams that become so desperate it's like spoken word. The instrumental is slower and hopeless in tone with guitars and bass dancing around each other and a beat that drags you through the track. Ending in a grand instrumental that echoes and again leads into the next making a three song amalgamation that takes you through many different notions. The last track Nothing is the Same Anymore, with the same name as the album it bursts straight into a full track with no time wasted on an intro. The lyrics are much more personal than the rest of the album, directly targeting a past that the protagonist is trying desperately to remove themselves from with the mark still deeply engrained in them. The track really leads back into the first track of the album being very similar in sound; it's an album that would be easy to instantly press replay on. The album isn't perfect but it is raw, it is a genuine accumulation of anger that most people living in this time feel and the music does a brilliant job at reflecting that. The album is bursting at the seams with real gritty and nostalgic hardcore and it seems the band will only go up from here. With a few gigs planned for the year, we hope to see them grow and flourish within the scene in 2026 and this album is just the start. Score: 7/10 Nothing Is The Same Anymore will be released on 16th February 2026 via Engineer Records and Grapes of Wrath Records Words: Amy Smyth Photos: Death of Youth

Newcastle gave VIANOVA a show they will never forget in the graffiti-covered attic of Zerox, packing into the venue for a sold out evening with support from SHIELDS. The show itself was short and sweet, with only the two on the lineup, but the energy from the two made for a perfect Thursday evening that wound down in time for the last metro home. The lights went down and metalcore outfit SHIELDS opened their set with Kill and Red & Green, where frontman Joe Edwards was not too talkative in the beginning, bar the standard “Hello Newcastle”. Edwards seemed to settle into the evening by the time they played Lacerate; first he coaxed the crowd to move by musing that the crowd had been mental, though later he remarked that he used to live there and was happy to be back. By the halfway point Zerox had found its energy and the pit opened up for yet another song, be it a bit of a stop and start situation at the beginning due to the clean vocals, but the rest of the room was still happy to put their hands in the air and keep them there, and by the end of the set there was a side by side as a finale. On stage, SHIELDS performed like they never left, with the tempo changing drums that made their latest album stand out being just as satisfying live. The performances from each member were passionate, with Edwards in particular gripping the mic to belt like a soul singer or standing with arms stretched out to invite the deep feelings that the Death & Connection track brought up. SHIELDS made a solid return to live shows and Zerox were very happy to have them. As the clock ticked half an hour, a glance out the side door of Zerox would show you VIANOVA, all donned in different versions of white shirts and white linen trousers, from drummer Paul Vogelgesang in a white vest, to frontman Alexander Kerski’s full three-piece accented by a white ushanka and sunglasses. The quartet took a couple minutes to pose for pictures through said doorway for the fans that could see them, before strutting towards the stage to M PEOPLE’s Moving On Up. As the track faded, Kerski started a clap for opening track Squier Talk, and the floor did not need much convincing before the whole room started bouncing. Vianova had the whole of Zerox electrified, with the rows before the circle pit bouncing with the band and the rows behind dancing in groups and couples. The pit itself took up half the room and was empty only for the one slow paced song on the setlist - Future Nostalgia, and despite the tight fit and low ceilings, a couple of patrons managed to crowdsurf their way to the stage. As for the crowd control, Kerski was joyous and happy to crack a joke, be it admitting that Oh No was hard to sing or laughing off that no one in the sold out room remembered the band’s square guitar phase. The frontman expressed enjoyment for their first time in the north of England and Zerox enjoyed them right back, shown by the chorus of voices singing the words back to VIANOVA, even for the new album Hit It!. This enjoyment really came to the fore as the show was due to come to a close: VIANOVA did the classic “give us an encore” move by shuffling to the side stage due to the lack of backstage in Zerox, coming back on by joking that Newcastle was going to pretend that they could not see them. The real closer was Wheel of Fortune, a funky rock track that had Zerox jumping, moshing and singing after a clap that never quite timed itself right. Vianova wished Newcastle "Thank you and goodbye.”, as the mirrors on the side wall of the venue misted bottom to top, but the hoots and hollers turned again to “One more song!” to which Kerski bargained that they wanted to be able to come back and they had to confirm with the venue; the sound tech’s thumb came up from the back of the room and the elated-thought bewildered Kerski asked, if Zerox would settle for a song they already played. Happy with this, the vocalist introduced with If you’re happy and you know it, launching into the second run of Más Rápido to the highest energy of the night. The pit opened wide, as the whole room bounced, and the lead crowdsurfed over the final chorus, but as the song ended and the chants started once again, Kerski simply said “Get the fuck out!” to end the evening. VIANOVA’s Newcastle leg was a sea of sweat and happiness nestled on the cold and rainy riverfront, with a crowd bursting with personality and artists able to bask in doing what they love. Zerox is a hidden gem of a venue with its underpass feel and intimate energy; it was easy to think this was the show VIANOVA will have compared all the others to as they closed out their UK tour on Saturday. Words: Julia Brunton Photos: Aylise Delano-Brown

The virulent beauty of annihilation has long been confirmed, ever since der Reise was first recounted from the ancient scrolls. But from the far, frigid north, a new Behemoth is set to awaken this February - the awe-inspiring The Beauty of Obliteration, the anticipated debut album from Reykjavik’s SLEEPING GIANT. Ground-shaking and havoc-inducing, the prophecy of destruction recounted here by the awakening beasts of the Earthrealm is sure to bring any listener on a tour of the grungiest, most distorted, vile, and downright devious riffs, all to the apocalyptic myth of an Earth shedding the hubris of humanity. Fans of the boiling tar rhythm of sludge doom metal will be more than pleasantly surprised by what these particular Giants have concocted; more than deserving of their name and doing the MASTODON track of the same title certainly proud. In production since 2024, The Beauty of Obliteration showcases the talents of vocalist ÞORSTEINSSON, BJÖRNSSON, PÉTURSSON and EIRÍKSSON on certainly-bloodied guitar strings, JÓHANNSSON on drums he may have fashioned from the skins of conquered peasants, and EINARSSON on a bass that seems to only get groovier with each sacrifice given in his name. Both EIRÍKSSON and PÉTURSSON feed their tenured talents from past project PLASTIC GODS directly into the Earthrealm’s maelstrom; however, both with a greater focus on a more bludgeoning, ice-cold growling sound over their past warmer, more stoner-inclined tunes. The album, if it was not one of music, would take the form of a blunt battleaxe, searing through swathes of mortals in the hands of a “merciless beast” through sheer force of inertia alone. No better is the sheer pungent, power-hungry groove of obliteration evidenced than in each song’s waveform: sheer blocks of sound, each track an awakening jotun itself. There is truly only one way to describe SLEEPING GIANT’s debut, from emotion, to theme, to tone: and that is as a reckoning. Opening with the rampaging victory of Conqueror, a song enough to shake the very ground, crumble empires and break the realm, the album ensures each of the substantial tracks has plenty of time to shine itself – with the shortest being the crisp, headbang-inducing Venom Ripper, Gorgon Blaster at just under three minutes - with no riff left behind in the storm of sound. From Mobilizer of Evil through to Slay the King of Hell, the listener is blasted with electric riffs from the shoulders of giants that leaves only concern for the health - and sanity - of the guitarists. One would be remiss to not include EINARSSON in that worry; with the delectable funk opener to Slay The King of Hell seemingly descending from the heavens themselves before being subsumed into the mass of sound. Each track follows a particular pattern: the audio barrage escalated with intensity midway through with truly unique and cannibalistically delicious breakdowns. Whenever these moments occur, and the guitars are truly allowed to breathe, it is as if some ancient tonal magics from the volcanic core of Iceland itself briefly awaken in your eardrums- throwing, rather than pushing, each song from good to great. While parts of each song can occasionally appear almost safe in its commitment to a coherent, overly-consistent barbaric sound, the valiant riffs near the end of Venom Ripper and the very middle of The Monk, for example, stand out, and we hope SLEEPING GIANT’s future releases will only showcase more of these creative and song-defining breakdowns. The Monk particularly brilliantly sears the ears, the most stoner metal experience of the album certainly amplified by hitting the monk in time with its heavy guitar plucks, inhaling brilliant “unspeakable filth” through lungs and mind alike. Ending with Abysmal Flame, the album in spirit and sound provides not a final hurrah or encore, but a terrifying, awe-inspiring and hefty ten-minute power-ballad, no longer prophesying but announcing the terrible awakening of the SLEEPING GIANT. With its own ultimate mid-song breakdown staring in horror at the “setting sun” of man, it is the perfect culmination; as the oldest of the album, it well shows elements reproduced with their full beauty in each other track - from thrash interludes perfected in Venom Ripper to doom distortions made manifest in Conqueror. The Giant has, certainly, awoken. Bringing The Beauty of Obliteration to man, it’s clear SLEEPING GIANT rouses, hitting the ground running, and shows great, raw promise to descend from Iceland as a true reckoning across the scene. Bring forth more destructive, more impactful and more sound-defining breakdowns to be dispersed through each song, more confidence in their well-practised craft, and (just in case) more medical attention to bleeding fingers and frayed vocal cords, and 2026 may yet be the summer of SLEEPING GIANT. May the reckoning come. Score: 7/10 The Beauty of Obliteration will be released on 6th February 2026 via Octopus Rising and Argonauta Records. Words: Jakub Tomasz Czaicki Photos: Sleeping Giant

Synthwave as a genre, is extremely unique when compared to other alternative music genres. Whilst some synthwave projects are bands, there are tons of synthwave projects that are invented by just a single person, even though these acts usually have more than a single member when they put on gigs. ALL THE DAMN VAMPIRES is a combination of both. This project is designed, and performed by Davey Oberlin, as well as vocalist Ryan Rose. What ultimately makes this project stand-out, is that it includes several features on their debut album Vicecore. It is extremely rare to find artists that are willing to collaborate when it comes to this specific type of music, and on top of that, Vicecore includes covers, as well as a good mix of fast and slow-paced songs which results in a debut album that has identity, ambition, and surprises throughout. The album begins with a short intro, before the first full track, the title track, begins. This song has a slow, mellow beginning and first verse, before the chorus explodes, bringing the song to life, because of the infectious vocal melody. One of the reasons why Vicecore stands out, is that the guitar seems like an afterthought, but you get surprised as the bridge is a guitar solo which segues into the final chorus, which ultimately wraps the official album opener up. Falling Into The Darkness is the first track with a feature on it. Jack Underkofler from the band DEAD POET SOCIETY lends his vocals to add a layer of passion and melody which truly makes this particular song sensational. The hook has an extended build in the form of a epic pre-chorus, and the guitar solo is simple, but does the job in getting us to the final chorus, which is a must listen on this record. The halfway point in Vicecore is marked by a song that is both fast paced, and slow at parts. Last Man Standing starts off with a slow verse before the chorus, which is exceptionally produced, with the different vocal layers sounding vastly different on the repeating line of the song title. Another unique aspect of this chorus is that it gets repeated twice, and each time it gets repeated, it speeds up. This makes the hook, and the overall way it was written that much more infectious. If there was one song which was expected to receive a cover on this album, it is the iconic In The Air Tonight. Throughout Vicecore, the PHIL COLLINS influence eases out occasionally, so this cover did not come as much of a surprise for us, but how good it is, did. The build up to the eventual world-famous drum fill is sneakily slow, and quiet. When the fill arrives, the cover transforms into a much more bombastic alternative metal version, and it works exceptionally. The one problem this version of In the Air Tonight is that it fades out not too long after the main beat and riff kick in after the fill. This section is easily the best part of the track and having it be so short is such a shame. The record ends with Sunset Over The Final Chapter, and features a guitarist who needs no introduction whatsoever; Miles Dimitri Baker. The closer starts with synths that introduce the vocals. As the first verse progresses, the guitars and drum machine get introduced before the chorus hits, showcasing the phenomenal vocals Rose has at his disposal. The second verse is much heavier with the drums and guitarwork being much more prevalent. Where this song shines, is the guitar solo played by Baker. His prowess fits this particular song perfectly, and he delivers a solo which is just as emotional as it is technical. The final chorus feels more impactful as a result too, which should always be what a good solo is all about. Overall, Vicecore is a really solid debut album, which combines the different music that inspired ALL THE DAMN VAMPIRES, with features from some of the best musicians in alternative music today. The songs are fantastic, and include some great choruses as well as solos, but some of these tracks have the potential to be much stronger, and if some of them were slightly longer, they could have been sensational. Debut releases should be an example of what an artist or band sound like, and ALL THE DAMN VAMPIRES have provided with a synthwave release that showcases their inspirations and musical ability extremely well, and it is evident that there is a lot more to explore sonically, and the wait for more will be torturous, just like a vampire draining the blood from a human. Score: 7/10 Vicecore was self released on 6th February 2026. Words: Itay Gilad Photos: Alexander Bemis

After five years of quiet, TRIGGER THUMB don’t so much return as rupture the silence. PMP-EP is the sound of a Bradford three-piece refusing to re-enter the room politely; instead, they kick the door off its hinges with a wave of sound triumphantly announcing their return to the scene with a jolt of pent‑up invention, sounding like a group who’ve been stockpiling ideas and are now firing them off in rapid succession. It’s a chaotic, tightly packaged burst of rock that keeps you slightly off balance in the best way, and is unhinged without losing its musicality. Five years away can dull the edges of a lesser group, but the five-track PMP-EP lands like a band reclaiming its pulse. The trio sounds focused, hungry, and more deliberate than ever. There’s no sense of having to warm up after their hiatus; the energy is immediate, almost impatient, as if the songs have been coiled for years just waiting to be released. Mean It opens the EP like a controlled explosion - a frantic collision of blast beats, snarling hooks, and vocals so manic they sound seconds away from tripping over themselves in their urgency to announce that TRIGGER THUMB have zero interest in easing anyone back in. It’s a mission statement and a tug‑of‑war between plea and demand, insisting we “watch right to the end” - as if we could resist! It’s music that demands attention but never feels stiff; the band’s instinct for propulsion keeps everything moving with purpose. The track’s fantastically hooky chaos sets the tone for everything that follows, establishing a project that thrives on tension - emotional, rhythmic, and structural - and proving within seconds that the band’s return is anything but tentative. Textures stack in ways that feel both restless and meticulously engineered. What defines the EP more than any single riff or vocal moment is its sense of motion. TRIGGER THUMB write songs that behave like living organisms, constantly shifting shape, mutating just when you think you’ve found your footing. Yet the chaos is never sloppy. Each detour is carefully considered, rooted in the group’s deep understanding of structure and flow. Banana captures their experimental streak at its best - a groove-led, eccentric track that flirts with excess but ultimately pulls it off. It’s both infectious and faintly threatening. Opening with a flurry of Punjabi and vocal ad-libs, it’s difficult to sit still when this bouncy track kicks in. The chorus - “Look what we’ve started [...] we’re just getting started” - feels like a rallying cry, and a sly nod to the band’s own return. That’s not even touching on the pure, joyful nonsense woven into the rest of the track: tic‑tac‑toe, bangles, smashed cameras, and grammar jokes delivered with the confidence of someone who knows they’re being ridiculous and is having the time of their life doing it. It’s the kind of track that has a listener grinning at the sheer bravado while quietly admiring how precisely it’s put together. Pain Means Progress closes the EP somewhere between chaos and release. Where the earlier tracks twist themselves into knots of groove and absurdity, the finale features jazzy bass, off‑kilter guitar stabs, and a vocal delivery that feels equal parts playful and exhausted, the smile barely hiding the sting. It’s a song that refuses to settle, shifting from swaggering looseness to emotional gut‑punch as it delivers the EP’s thesis with a grin and a wince. The band manages to turn a hard‑earned truth into something triumphant. Where the earlier songs weaponise tension, Pain Means Progress sits inside it, studies it, and alchemises it into something introspective, turning the title not into a slogan, but a hard‑earned revelation. It’s a bold, emotionally complex closer that reframes the EP not just as a burst of pent‑up energy, but as a document of growth, grit, and the strange humour that gets you through it. Across the EP, TRIGGER THUMB lean into a fun, mischievous approach to music. There are moments that flirt with nu‑metal attitude, others that nod toward math‑rock’s angularity, and still others that feel like the band are daring each other to see how strange they can get while keeping the listener hooked. Addictive hooks lock in just long enough to lure you before mutating into something stranger. Tongue‑in‑cheek lyrics slip between accessibility and absurdity, and the vocals stretch into a surprising number of shapes, barked, autotuned, falsetto, sometimes all within the same track. TRIGGER THUMB’s unpredictability and playful weirdness is their key strength, and it makes for an EP full of sharp personality and versatility. In just 20 minutes, they remind you exactly why they’ve always deserved more attention - and why this new chapter could be their most exciting yet. PMP‑EP doesn’t read as a comeback record. It reads as a leveling‑up. TRIGGER THUMB is a band hitting a stride and embracing the full spectrum of their instincts, from the heavy to the humorous, and showcasing some technical brilliance along the way. If this EP is a reintroduction, it’s a powerful one. If you’re looking for both cerebral precision and gut-level force with a healthy helping of absurdity, this is your sign to get TRIGGER THUMB on your radar, stat. Score: 8/10 PMP‑EP will be self released on 9th February 2026. Words: Cara Hyndman Photos: Trigger Thumb

Thirty five years into their career CONVERGE is ready to release their eleventh full length album to the world. Calling it the apotheosis of their journey through the music industry and what it means to really be metal, the album encapsulates the sound that they have worked towards all these years. Love Is Not Enough is extremely concentrated with no filler tracks or ones that drop into a mix but just ten full tracks of pure metalcore and punk that comment on the political climate as well as touching on life and its never ending uncertainty. It's experimental in its walk while maintaining its high quality, tracks someone with a keen ear or music as we as a brain dead metal head can soundtrack their days to. The album opens up with its title track Love Is Not Enough, a shorter track that summarises the album well, introducing you to what will follow. The track drops you straight into riff lined carnage with heavy crash usage and cathartic screaming vocals. The vocals switch it up to more of a punk shout for the middle of the track before going back to screams, showing versatility that doesn't at all seem out of place or forced. Bad Faith has heavy riffs and a bouncy bass exploring more of a nu metal pace that will have any listener bopping their head along. Again the track blends screams but these are layered at times in a crowding shout giving it a different texture than the last track. The drums dance along with the guitar riffs, diverging from the traditional drum beats becoming an almost melodic component, some great work from their drummer BEN KOLLER. The next track as in its name Distract And Divide brings a more political and authentically punk narrative to the album and the music thrashes the listener around to reflect that, the track is short and hits like a punch to the gut. To Feel Something runs at a similar pace but brings in screeching industrial-esque instrumentals, it's another shorter track but packs so much into its two minute runtime it requires another listen just to absorb all the elements of the song. Beyond Repair is an atmospheric instrumental track, portraying a feeling of impending doom through reverbing guitars and slow echoing drums. Despite being vocal free it adds a whole different feeling to the album and stands out rather than blending into the background or being used as a transition. Amon Amok brings total destruction with punk and metal coursing through its veins, it's a slower pace than the majority of the album but keeps the anger and fury red as can be. Vocalist JACOB BANNON being one of the two original members of the band stretches his voice far and wide across the track to encompass the genres melded together, its clear his many years of experience have massively contributed to his ability to both flip between vocal tones and mix them together. Force Meets Presence goes against the grain with its tempo sporadically it crashes together with no two bards being the same as the last. It is exactly the kind of the track you can picture a push pit opening up to with fists and kicks flying across a grungy dark venue, these are the kind of tracks that capture a feeling as close as you can get to a live show. Gilded Cage opens with a low and building guitar riff, almost emotive in tone before bringing in a really grungy and twangy bass line and industrial drums. The vocals are slow and cathartic like a cry for help dragging out and echoing through the track. The lyrics revert back to the oppression from political systems on those below them and calling for revolution against those in power, something the band clearly feel strongly about and again embody what it really means to be punk. Make Me Forget You is one last fast paced punch to the gut, but this one lasts almost five minutes. The drums don’t slow for even a moment being packed with blast beats and a baffling amount of fills, the attention to detail in each beat is truly impressive. The guitars and bass riffs ring loud and brutal on the ear drums as they crash in time with the vocals, layering together. The closing track of the album is We Were Never The Same, which brings it to a desolate end with the rawest track on the album. It explores the themes of mourning and grief in relation to those that maybe you can't relate to away from that. The number switches between halftime beats bringing its infrastructure right down to the ground and pummelling your ears. It comes to an abrupt end leaving the listener wanting more making the repeat button look lustrous to even the strongest metalheads. Overall Love Is Not Enough is raw, it's authentically punk and metal to its core. The album is clearly an amalgamation of all that it takes to stay an active band for thirty five years, this could even be the band's musical pinnacle, we’ll just have to wait and see if they can possibly top it. With shows lined up around the world for the rest of the year they have a huge 2026 ahead of them and we expect only the best. Score: 9/10 Love Is Not Enough will be released on 13th February 2026 via Epitaph. Words: Amy Smyth Photos: Jason Zucco

Having been around for over a decade, HO99O9 have been hailed as one of the best punk rap duos of a generation. Founded in New Jersey by theOGM and Eaddy, they have made waves on the music scene and are a musical force to be reckoned with. After three full length albums and countless EP’s, this now LA based band have certainly made a name for themselves for making more than just a bit of noise. Having not stepped on UK shores since 2022, this tour to celebrate their 2025 release Tomorrow We Escape had a sense of anticipation surrounding it, with many fans eager to see them grace a Southampton stage for the first time and unleash their electronic punk riffs on the audience. Opening the show first however was N8NOFACE from Arizona. Having created music for as long as he can remember, and creating it as DIY as he possibly can, N8NOFACE is a name you may not initially know, but you certainly would not forget. His music on the surface is synth punk, however it is much more than that. It is chiptune, glitchy, lo-fi ranting whilst moshing onstage, and getting lost in the music. After touring with LIMP BIZKIT on their Loserville tour, he has created a frenzy of fans and engaged the audience from the first beat until the last. Drawing inspirations from his life across Tucson and Long Beach, his storytelling through short, repetitive songs touch on themes from romance to substances and everything in between. However unique in performance style N8NOFACE may be, he most certainly had the audience entranced and hooked until the closing note. It was not long before the powerhouses that are HO99O9 stormed onto the stage with enough energy to wake the dead. It was not hard to see from their stage presence and performance that inspiration has come from the likes of ROB ZOMBIE and the PRODIGY’s Keith Flint, with masks, stand out clothing, and lighting that flashes and draws you in in an almost theatrical nature. With only drums, pads, and vocals, you would have thought there was a band of ten on the stage with the noise that was being created. The songs seem to be made for the stage, with energy and tag team vocals that help make the songs come alive. From loud drums, power vocals and electronic beats, no song is left unsung by the crowd. Highlights throughout the night included The Dope Dealerz, and Sub-zero, whilst it was also brilliant to see nods to their latest release such as Escape and LA Riots alongside older hits to showcase that the talent on stage is only getting better. With nods to other songs such as FRANK SINATRA’s My Way nestled amongst the chaos, it allowed light moments of juxtaposition that allowed both Eaddy and theOMG to dance on stage and show even more of their huge personalities. From an audience perspective, from the moment the pit opened up, the whole room started moving. Whether you wanted to be involved or not, the movement left you feeling united with everyone else in the room, and towards the end of the show, the band jumped into the audience, closing the gap between performer and fan to create something truly magical and frankly chaotic and slightly dangerous in the best way. HO99O9 are a band that has a stage presence like no other. From the opening song to the closing one, this tour not only celebrates their new album, but pays honour to the previous ones too. They are a band that have been ferociously making waves and will continue to do so with their superhuman energy and their music that incites emotions, and excitement. Hectic? Yes. Iconic? Absolutely. Words and photos: Laura Davies

“And how can this story not break your heart?” This line from the track Terence, shouted into the audience, did not feel like a statement but a genuine, pleading question to the world. MERYL STREEK stepped up onto the stage from the audience, not the last time he was amongst the crowd during the set, as the intro to The Beginning played “We should not have 150,000 vacant homes,” set the tone for what was about to come, as MERYL paced back and forth across the stage like a barely-contained tiger. Punk guitars drove over electronic soundscapes to take control of the audience and insisted on movement, on action. The lyrics were clearly the focus, the point of it all, but at no point did the set feel like a sermon; it was too raw for that, and there was no moral lesson or even call to action coming at the end. Maybe there was some brief comfort from being in a dark, loud room with people who were frustrated at the same things you were frustrated at; that is what was offered there. Though the lyrics shouted about Irish stories, that deep frustration at the systems caused them to reach out to the audience. Predatory gambling businesses, landlords, corruption, and cover-ups; if anything, MERYL STREEK’s specificity about the cases in his lyrics just highlighted how common these stories are, and how angry the public should be about that. Diving into the audience again and again, everything about the performance felt off-the-cuff and energetic without forgetting the music itself. It was an impressive balance, never felt over-produced and never lost the thread that kept the sold-out venue moving throughout. Achieving this with a full live band would be notable, but MERYL STREEK was on stage by himself, and the sheer force of his energy filled the entire room all by itself. The show powered forward at an unstoppable pace, and it took us until the next morning to realise that at no point the thought of, “I wish he had a live band with him,” occurred, which is, frankly, the biggest compliment the artist can get. Words and photos: Adam North

Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell their name – YAKKIE is here with no fear, unabashedly queer, and with their mission statement unreservedly clear: death to the unrelenting horror that is misogyny, and death to all that stands in the way of freedom. Their debut album, Kill The Cop Inside Your Head, is neither a punchy punk call-to-arms, nor a portfolio of brilliantly thought-out political poetry; neither a rousing rally nor a grungy bath of sound – because it is all four of these things. All at once. Fronted by JANEY STARLING of prior DREAM NAILS fame – one would be remiss to mention their utter anthem of Vagina Police – who’s vocals may remind of the legendary DOLORES O’RIORDAN in quality and sheer control, the YAKKIE supercluster of talent includes ROBIN GATT, bringing their fierce and instantly recognisable riffs directly from their time at PETROL GIRLS, LAURA ANKLES of COLOUR ME WEDNESDAY and her smooth, cushioning bass fantastically framing the ensemble, and MAEVE WESTALL of ITOLDYOUIWOULDEATYOU and JASMINE.4.T, who’s beautiful blending of frantic drumming ever-ready to break down truly takes YAKKIE’s sound to the next level. Multiplied together, it is as if listening to a reborn punk giant from the 1990s: a band whose posters once hung on your walls during better times, returning with an absolute bang. And, truly, the accolades of this album begin long before the first strum of a guitar, in the exceptional artistry of YAKKIE. Special mention must be made to the bountiful and endless creativity that permanently flows through this project – from their psychedelic-grunge merch and album art bringing a distinguished band identity instantly, the talent in each member, and most notably, the album’s distribution. The art of DIY and self-publishing is a holy tradition, and YAKKIE are already its masters- Kill The Cop Inside Your Head recorded entirely analog, live, in one take, and personally published. YAKKIE’s presentation is legendary – and their sound is not one step behind. YAKKIE’s art continues even into the album’s orchestration- many songs brilliantly designed to play in succession, highlighting their sound – and most importantly, message – in the utter experience of listening to this debut. The titular track Kill The Cop Inside Your Head, from its first semi-automatic volley of electric riffs, introduces the listener to YAKKIE’s style with an almost protest-like chant to “kill the panopticon inside your head”- all until a breakdown begging for a pit to collapse into itself to its refrain. With a great message truly informed by well-read anti-fascist thought, the seminal demand – to not “fall asleep in your enemy’s dream” is echoed in its importance by its accompanying, violent drop – a sure inspiration to emulate in pursuit of the cop-in-the-head. What YAKKIE does next, however, is fascinating. Each following track well relates to the next – Criticise Me and He Sleeps Alone, first up, cement a much-deserved criticism of toxic masculinity and misogyny, protest songs about the ever-present patronisation and belittling that most men truly believe they should be allowed to get away with. Interestingly, these two also begin the pattern of genre play: YAKKIE is in no means boxed in by the speedier, riot punk of the titular track and explores sounds ranging from speedy skate sounds as in Rabbit’s Got A Gun, to beautifully haunting unplugged ballads, as in the case of Atlas. The album’s structure allows these messages to be repeated in the progression from Right Of Reply into Secrets – where the sexism of individual men is expertly linked to the horror of structural misogyny. Anxious basslines, manic drumming and emotional vocals scream against the systemic murder of women and its subsequent downplaying in the media, and the ever-present sexual violence in the world order; the songs and their messages, especially in Secrets, made only more haunting and pertinent by recent political revelations. Lean Out stands out, particularly. The thrashiest, rawest track, it best showcases GATT’s talents as a savage riff dispenser, making YAKKIE’s anarcha-feminist intersectional power-ballad tying class consciousness and gender together even more enjoyable. Despite the horrors, the album ends on a much-deserved high note. The longest track, Under The Pavement Is The Beach is a holistic exposure of the world’s political rot, capitalism’s woes and unrelenting genocide. But, and this is most important: “even when up is down we will find a way out” – and for all the true cruelty and savagery of the world, when drawn together, the people united can never be defeated. YAKKIE is an ensemble that doesn’t seem as if they’re going from debut into the pages of punk history – because they’ve already been in those hallowed pages; they’re only here to reclaim their throne. The majority of songs here all feel unique and loved, and all are important to listen to: it is telling one of the few criticisms we have is the admittedly subjective desire for more grunge and skate punk Rabbit’s Got The Gun in future releases- but such specificity pales in comparison to the brilliant diversity and creativity on offer with this debut. Score: 8/10 Kill The Cop Inside Your Head will be self released on the 13th of February 2026 Words: Jakub Tomasz Czaicki Photos: YAKKIE

BRATAKUS have built themselves up with a fierce DIY punk ethos that has persisted since their inception. The two sisters, BRÈAGHA and ONNAGH CUINN hail from the highlands of Scotland, just outside the tiny village of Tomintoul; they make up for the peace and quiet out there by being as loud and aggressive as humanly possible. They’re punchy, fiery, and incredibly political - everything you could ask for in a DIY riot grrrl band. Their upcoming debut album Hagridden stuffs their insatiable punk energy into a tight ten-track package that only leaves us wanting more. The duo waste no time with Final Girls, the energetic opening riffs immediately dragging us into their grimy underground world. This track has been with us for almost a year, but it refuses to get old; the guitars alone make this song a shot of adrenaline that simultaneously keeps us on our toes and serves as an excellent introductory statement to the band and this album. They keep that energy through second track Turnstile, the sisters’ dynamic dual vocals a definite standout element on this one. Following is Real Men Eat Meat, a harsh, aggressive takedown of macho-man mentality and their staunch opposition to veganism and the animal rights movement. This is where BRATAKUS shine - they don’t shy away from taking political stances, standing tall on their soapboxes and shouting their causes, underlined with the sheer rawness of their vocals. Following is Hypocritical, a track that can only be described as a hurricane on fire; it’s a whirlwind that spins us around with its breakneck pace, threatening to burn down everything in its vicinity through sheer aggression. It doesn’t just ask for a mosh pit, it demands one. A groovy rhythm leads us from that into Worth It, a track with memorable riffs that we know we’ll be humming all day. As the track nears its end, they reiterate the message: “This cycle of exploitation, it never ends!” This one is by far one of the album’s best, carrying everything from high-octane riffs and rhythms to heavy political messaging and raw, bleeding vocals. Tokened is another track that had its release last year, and its message will definitely stand the test of time. “We won’t be tokened! We won’t be broken!” the sisters sing, crying out against the tokenisation of women today and throughout history - especially in the music industry, where if a band is composed of women, they’re often defined as a ‘girl band’ instead of being allowed to simply be a band. Tonight follows, another fast-paced banger from the duo, though around the midpoint they slow into a grungier, edgier section that helps the track stand out from the others. After that is Behave, another track that shouts about the treatment of women, commanding men to behave, to stop treating them like a piece of meat and to keep their hands to themselves. Drowning comes in as the penultimate track, one that trades out the duo’s signature shouty riot grrrl vocals for a vocal style reminiscent of nineties grunge bands like HOLE - before long however, we’re thrown into another set of raw chant-like verses that give this track an element of variety that marks it as a clear standout in the album. The only criticism this track brings to the album is that it leaves us wanting more in this style. Finally, Hagridden wraps up with Cut Us, a return to the sisters’ defining sound. It combines deliberate barbed-wire riffs and basslines with razor-sharp vocals, and gives listeners a chorus designed for live shows - one the audience are sure to be shouting along with the band, fists raised high in the air. Hagridden is an album that encapsulates everything that’s great about the Proclaimers of punk, dripping with their DIY punk mentality and bursting at the seams with a frenetic energy that keeps us on our toes throughout the ten incendiary tracks. The sisters are a breath of fresh air in today’s music industry; they’re entirely unafraid and outspoken about their political stances, covering ground from animal rights, to feminism and the treatment of women in the industry, to the brainwashing attempts prevalent in mainstream media. BRATAKUS are making their mark, and they’re doing it in their own punk way; loud, aggressive, and unforgettable. Score: 8/10 Hagridden will be released on February 13th 2026 via Venn Records. Words: Naomi Colliar Duff Photos: Lee Lewis