Reviews

Michael Romeo – ‘War Of The Worlds Part 1’ (Album Review)

Given that I live a few miles from Woking (the original British setting of H.G. Wells’ The War Of The Worlds), anything related to that title naturally grabs my attention. Of course, the fact that this album happens to have been made by Michael Romeo – one of the most proficient guitarists in progressive metal, and the founder of Symphony X, a band I’ve been into since the days of V and The Odyssey – also marks it out as Read more…

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Tags: Metal, Prog, Prog Metal

Posted on 22 July 2018

Reviews

The Agony Scene – ‘Tormentor’ (Album Review)

With so many soundalike metalcore bands out there, The Agony Scene managed to differentiate themselves by going darker and harder than most of their peers. Now making their return after a lengthy hiatus with Tormentor, their first album in ten years, these guys have decided to mark the occasion by Read more…

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Tags: Extreme, Extreme Metal, Metal, Metalcore

Posted on 19 July 2018

Reviews

Plini – ‘Sunhead’ (EP Review)

Plini is one of the most highly respected instrumental guitarists in the world right now. Steve Vai heavily praised Plini’s first (and so far only) long-player Handmade Cities, while the Australian virtuoso’s DIY work ethic landed him on Download Festival’s Dogtooth Stage for the legendary event’s first ever instrumental guitar set. Although Plini first Read more…

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Tags: Instrumental, Instrumental Guitar, Metal, Prog, Rock

Posted on 18 July 2018

Reviews

Daughtry – ‘Cage To Rattle’ (Album Review)

Five years is a long time in rock ‘n’ roll – and that goes quintuple for former talent show contestants, who are normally expected to vanish into obscurity within twelve months of emerging into the public eye. But then again, Chris Daughtry is a star with proven staying power – and Cage To Rattle is a strong showing for a Read more…

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Tags: Pop, Pop-Rock, Rock

Posted on 13 July 2018

Reviews

Real Friends – ‘Composure’ (Album Review)

Emo and pop-punk bands tend to travel through a series of stages as they get older. At first, their work can easily come across as immature – often because it is – before they gradually shift towards rockier sounds and come face to face with adult, not adolescent, challenges.  Real Friends have taken that path, and it’s currently culminating in Read more…

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Tags: Emo, Pop-Punk, Rock

Posted on 04 July 2018

Reviews

Between The Buried And Me – ‘Automata II’ (Album Review)

When Between The Buried And Me dropped Automata I back in March, it quickly got progressive metal fans hyped for the day they could finally experience the whole thing Read more…

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Tags: Metal, Prog, Prog Metal

Posted on 23 June 2018

Reviews

The Interrupters – ‘Fight The Good Fight’ (Album Review)

Fans of snappy suits, ska-punk songs, and skanking rejoice: The Interrupters are back once again with a fresh set of Tim Armstrong-produced tunes. Fight The Good Fight is mostly intended to act as an escape hatch for those tired of the world’s trials and tribulations, and Read more…

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Tags: Punk, Ska

Posted on 23 June 2018

Reviews

Nine Inch Nails – ‘Bad Witch’ (Album Review)

As one of the world’s most respected musicians, Trent Reznor rarely needs much in the way of introductions. The Nine Inch Nails mastermind, famed industrial rock and metal producer, and movie soundtrack guru has been plying his trade under the NIN banner for thirty years. Even those unfamiliar with Reznor’s main band have almost certainly Read more…

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Tags: Industrial, Instrumental, Metal, Rock

Posted on 22 June 2018

Reviews

Talons – ‘We All Know’ (Album Review)

As much as I enjoy post-rock and instrumental music, it’s easy to lose patience with outfits too easily labelled as “tremolo-picking bands”. A cliché already done to death a decade ago, such bands treat that high-speed technique as a compositional crutch – and turn otherwise promising songs into Read more…

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Tags: Instrumental, Post-Rock

Posted on 21 June 2018

Reviews

Devin Townsend Project – ‘Ocean Machine Live At The Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv’ (Live Album Review)

Few musicians manage to spoil their fans as thoroughly as Devin Townsend does. Since this guy’s generosity is backed up by consistently prolific creativity, his discography represents a treasure trove of tracks spanning multiple genres, from extreme metal and prog to more chilled out styles. There is nothing Devin Townsend can’t do, and he never fails to Read more…

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Tags: Metal, Prog, Prog Metal, Rock

Posted on 19 June 2018