Music Reviews

Los Angeles alternative rock band Badflower are back, staring straight in the face of a sophomore album slump and categorically saying “no” with the utmost emotionally raw conviction.  The band's latest LP, 'This is How The World Ends', serves as the follow-up to 'Ok, I’m Sick' back in 2019, a debut album that dealt with challengingly dark subject matters in suitably comfortable, alt-rock attacking style. There is certainly a continuation of thought provoking themes on their latest record, as Badflower break down the barriers and banish the concept of taboo topics, with an urgent, blood pumping rush.

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.

British metal has lot of wonderful bands who are not dinosaurs, bands who are hungry to succeed and create excellent music. At this time, Employed To Serve might just be conquering them all with their fourth studio album.

Mastiff are a band that demand your attention. Hell, they outright deserve it at this point and frankly you deserve to give them your time, because this album will undoubtedly affect you one way or another. This is bleak, this is grim and this is bloody outstanding.

A turnstile is a very uninteresting thing in and of itself. It lets people into events, stadiums and venues. There isn’t really much else to say about such a thing. The namesake band are anything but. On third album 'GLOW ON', Turnstile expand their sound even further than before, like a successful restaurateur taking over a neglected high street unit. Can the band go even further than the already expansive 'Time and Space'?

'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.

Leeds newcomers Caskets have already made their mark in alternative music. Whilst still a relatively new band to the scene, the quartet have come out all guns blazing with a big blend of crisp, atmospheric, post-hardcore and mellow melodics, presenting their unique take on the genre with such intensity and immediacy.

There are not many acts in extreme music that can toe the same sort of line that Ingested have in their career. Since their inception, the band have been at the forefront of the extreme music scene, particular in the UK, and have never waivered in their mission to create the most brutal and unyielding music that they can. Now, ten years on from their sophomore album 'The Surreption', Ingested have chosen to revisit the classic and give it the attention and recrafting that it deserves, with all the tools and tricks that have become available in their time since its original release.

Billie Eilish is back with her sophomore effort 'Happier Than Ever'. 'WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?' broke countless records and has made her arguably the biggest name in music, so following that record is arguably one of the hardest tasks in music history, so how does the 19-year-old do?

Creeper have built up a huge cult following with their first two full-length records. Their blend of theatrical rock, alternative lyricism, and anthemic choruses have excited fans all over the country, so does 'American Noir' keep the band on their trajectory to stardom?