Music Reviews

'Dial M for Meds' is an album that analyses what it is like to be an outsider. Full of personal tropes, the band do not shy away from owning their experiences, illustrating personal success in overcoming addiction and being an outcast. With sick riffs, dirty basslines and drum grooves that rivals 90s rock and grunge bands, there is so much going for this band; Taking Meds are a band to keep an eye on. They are bringing back the 90s and making it stylish.

On 'Dead Club City', Nothing But Thieves have thrown themselves a creative curveball and have executed it to stylish, tasteful and classy degrees of success. A world where you need a pass to get into the DCC, an 80’s disco synth party where its members are dressed in The Matrix getup, a place where the dark reality of the downsides to fame and fortune are all too prevalent.

Finding the right balance of melody and raw power is no easy task. Fortunately Throw The Fight are a band that have had no such struggle. Since their inception two decades ago, the Minnesota natives have accrued fans all over the world with their infectious choruses and mosh-inducing riffs. Despite having their fair share of line-up changes over the past few years (including the departure of guitarist/vocalist James Clark, leaving bassist/vocalist Kade Kastellitz to front the band full-time going forward), Throw The Fight appear to be firing on all cylinders as they line-up their fourth full-length album, 'Strangeworld'.

The title of Yellowcard’s new EP, 'Childhood Eyes', couldn’t be more appropriate. Their first new release since a surprise return last year sees the pop-punk veterans revisiting the sounds of their past, to make something contemporary, and ultimately quite brilliant. This is a true statement of intent, and an excellent way to set expectations for this most unlikely of comebacks.

Although the pandemic was a tough time for many artists, there would be no Honey Revenge without it. Vocalist Devin Papadol and guitarist Donovan Lloyd connected over Instagram, and the rest is history. They have been making a splash across the US and are releasing their debut album, 'Retrovision', via Thriller Records. Summing the album up, Papadol describes it as one “of duality” - and it is an accurate observation.  

Whilst Christmas, birthdays and the wallet-busting promise of a council tax increase come once a year, Godflesh albums usually take a bit longer to arrive, but when they do, it's a beautiful moment to savour and we should celebrate the kings of “feel-bad” music.

This was always going to be a difficult record both to record and even to listen to. An album which takes aims and lands squarely in the feels. 'But Here We Are' has landed just a year after the sudden passing of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and the scars of that loss on Foos mainman Dave Grohl aren’t just clear to see, and hear, they are front and centre and dominate a handful of the tracks.

What do you get when some of the world’s best metal bands come together to record an album? 'Horns For A Halo' by the metal supergroup, Elegant Weapons. With Vandenberg and Rainbow’s Ronnie Romero (vocals), Judas Priest’s Richie Faulkner (guitars), Uriah Heep’s Dave Rimmer (bass) and Accept’s Christopher Williams (drums), 'Horns For A Halo' is an ode to the heavy metal of the 70s and 80s.

From blood curdling screams and some seriously crushing breakdowns and riffs, to piano melodies and ballad sensitivities, and even some tasteful use of autotune and electronic elements inspired by trap songs, 'Take Me Back to Eden' has pretty much got it all in an album that’s bound to take Sleep Token to new heights.

After a highly successful European tour supporting Neck Deep and Boston Manor in 2022, there is a lot going on for happydaze. With over forty-three thousand monthly listeners on Spotify, the Scottish alt-rock/pop are back with their new EP, 'Full Free Radical'.