Skunk Anansie – ’25Live@25′ (Album Review)

I’m not normally a big fan of live records. With so many literally moving parts, and an almost endless list of things that can go wrong, a truly awesome live recording is a rare thing. With 25Live@25, Skunk Anansie have cherry-picked no fewer than 25 gems from across their entire career, and assembled them into a compilation structured as if it were a single live set.

Of course, Skunk Anansie have something of a reputation for great live shows – and so this collection’s quality is Read more…

Posted on 17 January 2019

You Me At Six – ‘VI’ (Album Review)

Learning and growing from past mistakes has always been a running theme in rock music, and You Me At Six are clearly determined to follow that path on VI. Having felt they’d lost their way on last year’s Night People, and fully aware of how quickly the winds of fortune can change in the music business, YMAS decided to Read more…

Posted on 01 October 2018

Four Seconds Ago – ‘The Vacancy’ (Album Review)

Although Periphery are primarily worshipped as all-conquering djent overlords, they’ve never been the kind of band to go in for constant, unrelenting brutality. Even Insomnia, the opening track from their self-titled debut album, started off with clean, faded-in backward swells and electronic glitches before Read more…

Posted on 28 September 2018

The Black Queen – ‘Infinite Games’ (Album Review)

Calling The Black Queen’s debut album Fever Daydream a masterpiece is not an act of taint-tonguing, banus-licking sycophancy. It’s merely a statement of plain and simple fact. It’s been more than two years since key tracks The End Where We Start, Ice To Never, Secret Scream, and That Death Cannot Touch saw the light of day, and those converted by Read more…

Posted on 22 September 2018

Voivod – ‘The Wake’ (Album Review)

Very few bands make it through three and a half decades – but over the course of multiple lineup adjustments, creative direction changes, tragedies and triumphs, Voivod have kept the dream alive since the early 80s. Whether laying down 17-minute songs or covering the Batman theme, Voivod keep pushing their boundaries and stretching Read more…

Posted on 20 September 2018

Beartooth – ‘Disease’ (Album Review)

Working under the Beartooth banner, Caleb Shomo has always been up for a fight. His opponent comes cloaked in shadow, has no concrete physical form, and has claimed far too many victims. Its name is depression, the Disease referred to by Read more…

Posted on 18 September 2018

Black Peaks – ‘All That Divides’ (Album Review)

Some bands are born special. I first came across Black Peaks (then known collectively as Shrine) back in 2014, within a year or so of their initial formation, and it was obvious even then that these guys would go on to achieve big things. Fast-forward past their Closer To The Sun EP, 2016’s beautifully batshit debut album Statues, massive amounts of touring, and more than a few Read more…

Posted on 16 September 2018

Monuments – ‘Phronesis’ (Album Review)

Since 2014, Monuments have managed to stay near the top of the tech-metal pile on the back of The Amanuensis, which happens to be one of the greatest albums to ever emerge from that particular scene Read more…

Posted on 14 September 2018

Good Charlotte – ‘Generation Rx’ (Album Review)

After a decade of slogging away as one of the most hated pop-punk bands of all time, Good Charlotte went on hiatus and returned with 2016’s Youth Authority. It was a decent effort, and recognised as such, a promising sign of lessons learnt and extra miles run while sweating blood in the name of self-improvement. At their best, Good Charlotte stood up for the world’s downtrodden misfits – and that positive stance is likely why Read more…

Posted on 13 September 2018

Thrice – ‘Palms’ (Album Review)

Thrice have always thrived on diverse creative approaches. Their on-record history has already taken in a set of post-hardcore classics (The Artist In The Ambulance), experimental compositional sorcery (Vheissu), and the all-encompassing masterwork The Alchemy Index. Since the latter epic saw the light of day, Thrice have never quite managed to Read more…

Posted on 12 September 2018