Reviews

Los Angeles-based four-piece Dead Poet Society lay everything bare on their emotionally palpable debut album, '-!-'. The entire record is a tangible expression of heartbreak and recovery, that offers comfort to others who may feel stuck in a loop of trauma and are trying to break through. 

A Day To Remember are back with a new album, 'You’re Welcome', which sees the band to take on a brand-new ambitious sound. So, after nearly two years of hype and speculation, will the band pull off this new, arena-friendly sound or will they fail miserably?

Sludge-metal outfit Crowbar recently performed their third live stream, which was directed by Mike Holderbeast. The event featured a mixed setlist, including tracks the band rarely play live - find out what we thought about the show here!

Innovative young pop prospect Amber Jay releases her debut EP 'Never Too Far From A Dark Thought' on 3rd March. Her blend of dark-pop, alternative synths and honest, emotional vocals make her an extremely exciting artist worth keeping an eye on.

With album number nine, 'For Those That Wish To Exist', Architects are switching up the status quo in more ways than one. The fifteen-track full-length defies the short, sharp releases of singles and EP’s in a fast paced music industry, in favour of a lengthy LP that serves up a heavy dose of lyrical reality, analysing our collective actions that are directly affecting planet earth's destruction and, moreover, our ability to rally round as a society to strive for a better, brighter future.

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.

After kicking off 2021 with a bang by dropping huge new single 'Obsolete', Of Mice & Men have set the standards for this EP incredibly high. The band have labelled these tracks as the beginning of a new era. So does their first music released on SharpTone Records begin the new era fittingly?

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.

The world may be in a poor state right now. Things feel more uncertain than ever and there are seemingly fewer and fewer things that we can cling on to with any semblance of normality. One such thing, however, is that great metal bands will continue to put out great music. Humanity’s Last Breath are one of those groups. The band have a stellar back catalogue of genre-bending extreme releases under their belt, including the critically acclaimed 2019 album 'Abyssal', and now in 2021 they are back to stake their claim as one of the most reliable metal acts in the business with 'Välde', a release that promises to be a culmination of everything they have been building to musically over the past decade.

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.