Back in 2020, they’ve wowed everyone with 'Holy Roller' and this year they’ll amaze everyone yet again. At long last, the debut album by Spiritbox is about to hit the shelves (and streaming services), and we can safely say that the wait has been well and worth it. 'Eternal Blue' is an utter masterpiece, worthy of every album of the year title that it will, undoubtedly, receive by the time 2021 leaves us.

Leprous' Aphelion preview live stream was the perfect way to kickstart this new chapter of the band, giving everyone a chance to hear the stellar new output from the quintet, two days before anyone else. 

'Aphelion' is yet another brilliant release by Norwegian prog masters Leprous. Its songs constantly build themselves up and evolve, while retaining their individual sound and identity, and manage to never sound exactly the same as one another. This is a testament of a band that, in spite of a pandemic, is still on top of its game, and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.

With the release of 'Typhoons', British duo Royal Blood have taken their craft and perfected (almost) every single possible aspect, managing to put out a record that’s punchy yet groovy at the same time, which is sure to become the favourite for a lot of people.

15 years. That’s how long it’s taken Claudio Sanchez to release another full-length release under The Prize Fighter Inferno moniker, managing to beat even Tool’s 13-year span between records. Has the wait for 'The City Introvert' been worthwhile, though?

'Elasticity' is a good mix of Serj Tankian’s signature vocal wails and captivating yet intriguing lyrics, as well as sounds you’d expect from both his usual solo material and System of a Down.

Spanning two albums over two days, the recent live streamed shows by Norwegian prog masters Leprous were a great reminder of what concert life was like before the pandemic, while also acting as a first opportunity for many fans to witness the band’s latest album, 'Pitfalls', being played live, in its entirety.

In the end, 'Dark & Beautiful Secrets' is a great third step in Normandie’s overall discography, as aside from a tracklist which could be more cohesive, it’s got everything going for it to be classed as one of the great alternative albums of 2021.

While it doesn’t tread too much into new sonic territories, 'Who Am I?', the new album by Manchester-based indie band Pale Waves, is an adequate follow-up to their debut album, 'My Mind Makes Noises', acting as the yin to its yang.

We’re one year into a global pandemic (because one just *has* to strike every century, apparently), and we’ve begun to see more and more online shows. One could say that they’ve become all the rage in the industry, and these guys know it, because aside from being a three-part series, these new livestreams by Silverstein feature a highly outlandish storyline that makes everything truly… 'Out of This World' (*ba-dum-tshh*) - sorry, we couldn’t help it.