CKY – ‘The Phoenix’ (Album Review)

In recent years, it’s been fashionable to slag off turn-of-the-millennium alt-metal – but the trend-pandering critics of the music world tend to overlook one simple thing. At that point, metal grooved. Bands like CKY made people want to move – and for a short time alt-metal even managed to impact the mainstream, before it all went downhill and morphed into the mainly stagnant pool of same-old-same-old we see around us today.

CKY have not forgotten the importance of The Groove in the eight years since Carver City came out – and thanks to Read more…

Posted on 17 May 2017

Oceano – ‘Revelation’ (Album Review)

Oceano are a brutal band with a thought-provoking and timely message.

Our world is in trouble. This is a fact that has been debated countless times over multiple decades – and yet we continue to slip down the slope. All is not yet lost – but how long do we have left? And what can be done to turn the tide?

Revelation considers the above in devastating fashion Read more…

Posted on 14 May 2017

Dragonforce – ‘Reaching Into Infinity’ (Album Review)

Dragonforce are the kings of unrestrainable speed. 2006’s Inhuman Rampage kicked off with the legendary Through The Fire And Flames – the hardest song on Guitar Hero, and pretty fucking tough on actual guitar as well. Fast-forward to 2014’s Maximum Overload and The Game, a 240-bpm monster, and you have to ask: How can these guys push the boat out even further? Read more…

Posted on 08 May 2017

Ho99o9 – ‘United States Of Horror’ (Album Review)

When you spend your life immersed in music, it’s easy to assume that you’ve seen and heard it all. When I headed down to Brighton to watch The Dillinger Escape Plan tear the town a new one, then-support-act Ho99o9 immediately shredded said assumption. For more about that show, click here.

Ho99o9 (pronounced “Horror”) live up to their name on United States Of Horror. Focussing mainly on Read more…

Posted on 04 May 2017

Andy James – ‘Exodus’ (Album Review)

Given Andy James’ status as a prolific and renowned guitar teacher, it should come as no surprise that this all-instrumental LP represents a balls-to-the-wall metal masterclass.

Exodus is precision-targeted at the Internet’s shredheads. We’re talking ten tracks that span an impressive range of Read more…

Posted on 02 May 2017

At The Drive-In – ‘in.ter.a.li.a’ (Album Review)

The last time At The Drive-In released an album, my brain wasn’t ready for them. Over the years since 2000’s Relationship Of Command, I’ve adapted to and embraced the world of challenging, complex, left-of-centre music – including, of course, the ultra-prolific output of tone-mangler Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and The Mars Volta. Now, 17 years have passed – and ATDI are back, determined to pick up where they left off Read more…

Posted on 26 April 2017

SikTh – ‘The Future In Whose Eyes?’ (Album Review)

Calling SikTh’s new album one of the most hotly anticipated of 2017 is like calling Donald Trump a foul, delusional sociopath. Both statements are pretty dramatic – but they also happen to be one hundred percent true.

Like the current political climate, SikTh’s history has proven both turbulent and unpredictable. Having broken up following groundbreaking long-players The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out, Wait For Something Wild and Death Of A Dead Day; reunited for 2015’s Opacities mini-album; and then split amicably with co-vocalist Justin Hill following one final show at last year’s Camden Rocks Festival (reviewed here), SikTh seem to have finally landed on solid, stable ground Read more…

Posted on 23 April 2017

Incubus – ‘8’ (Album Review)

Incubus are masters of the musical curveball. Ahead of every album they release, the unexpected is the only thing to be expected. Unpredictability and consistent reinvention have been Incubus constants from the day their major label debut SCIENCE dropped.

That day was close to two decades ago – and Incubus are still going strong on 8. To say they’ve been Read more…

Posted on 21 April 2017

Between The Buried And Me – ‘Coma Ecliptic Live’ (Album Review)

Between The Buried And Me are one of the best progressive bands in the world today. That is a fact challenged by few. Since 2007’s Colors, BTBAM’s impact has only increased with each new release.

Dropping two years ago, Coma Ecliptic saw Between The Buried And Me unleash an immensely ambitious body of work. A conceptual prog opera drawing heavily on Dream Theater’s undeniable influence, Coma Ecliptic narrowly missed the Billboard Top 10 while dividing BTBAM fans due to Read more…

Posted on 19 April 2017

All That Remains – ‘Madness’ (Album Review)

All That Remains have really stuck their necks out here.

My strongest music-related belief is that bands and artists should be allowed to play whatever the hell they like. Without the concept of creative freedom, music’s history would be very dull indeed. We’d probably still be banging rocks with sticks, or humming along to bone flute quartets, and there would be no rock ‘n’ roll, no Read more…

Posted on 16 April 2017