RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://klogr.net/ The good people over at Stampede Press were kind enough to mail me a promo copy of the eagerly anticipated new album by the Italian alt. rock/modern melodic metal group known as Klogr, which turned out to be a pleasingly impassioned affair containing several thrilling and darkly sensuous moments. These…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://oleteigen.bandcamp.com/album/skjebnev-ven Leave it to Gymnocal Industries (Norway) to release hauntingly evocative records such as this one, which sees the skilled composer Ole Teigen (Superlynx, ex-Den Saakaldte, ex-Dødheimsgard) weaving gentle and reflective piano motifs together to great effect. As with his introspective and somber Aske and Jord LP from 2021, Skjebnevæven is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/postcards-from-scotland-scottish-independent-music-1983-1995 This one is a rather fascinating piece of work that examines and tells the story of a hugely interesting phenomenon that took place in Scotland in the eighties and early nineties, namely that of Scottish post-punk and its closely related genres within that geographical area. Author Grant McPhee has basically…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/TremendousMusic/ The Birmingham-based glam rock outfit known as Tremendous released the rather impressive and well-written Relentless four years ago and garnered a lot of positive reviews and praise from fans and members of the press for that delightfully catchy piece of work. This stripped-down, singer-songwriter-esque acoustic EP is something completely different to the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/nirvana-the-true-story Another excellent entry in Omnibus Press’ Remastered series is the classic Nirvana: The True Story by Everett “The Legend” True, the renowned music journalist who experienced the Nirvana phenomenon in ways that would leave most others green with envy. Just to list a few examples, True introduced Kurt to Courtney…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/kate-bush-under-the-ivy-omnibus-remastered Omnibus Press recently launched the perfectly titled Remastered series, which sees some of the older and most popular entries in their catalog having been updated and expanded upon. One of those is the beautifully written and evocative Under the Ivy, which offers an incredibly sympathetic and heartwarming portrait of the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://tusm-rke.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-of-oberon With Norwegian prog rockers Tusmørke you never quite know what you are going to get, but one thing that you can count on is that they are going to fry your brain and offer something that is musically eclectic, unique sounding, perfectly charming, and outright quirky. Such is the case…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://floodgatemoodsproductions.bandcamp.com/album/solemn-traits Late August sees the digital release of the full-length opus titled Solemn Traits, which is a brand-new sonic curse that is firmly rooted in dark ambient drone experiments and disquieting textures – the kind that require and reward patience on the part of the listener. Spawned by thoughts and notions…
PHOTOGRAPHER: John Hesse.Photos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. About a month ago I happily stumbled on a ferocious and relentlessly intense 2-track EP on Bandcamp appropriately titled Entropic, which blew me away and instantly turned into a bit…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/descendants-of-evil You can never really go wrong with an inhumanely brutal barrage of blackened death metal from Poland when it is released by the long-running Godz ov War Productions, and this eight-track juggernaut by Upon the Altar is a perfect example of a solid and perversely enjoyable listening experience. The pure,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.georgiathunderbolts.com/ US rockers The Georgia Thunderbolts have a wonderful knack for churning out crisp and candid tunes with an electrifying vibe to them, and this spright sophomore album of theirs is simply an essential listen. Not only does Rise Above It All show how resolutely great this band is but also…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://thecoldstares.bandcamp.com/album/the-southern The talented trio from Indiana known as The Cold Stares is gearing up to release this beautifully crafted and evocative record of theirs titled The Southern in September, and it is something to look forward to. Full of captivating ideas, classy melodies, emotive vocals, and sophisticated hooks, the album is…
VENUE: StereoDATE: 30.07.2024 ORGANIZER: Dark Essence Records / Beyond the GatesPHOTOGRAPHER: J. NepperPhotos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The ever-reliable purveyors of quality music known as Dark Essence Records, one of the world’s premier metal-related labels, are not merely…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/stealthecityuk/ Hailing from Sheffield and packing plenty of sonic punch, the quartet known as Steal the City delivers hook-laden songs that fall somewhere between arena-sized hard rock and modern metal with strong melodies to it. Full of energy and as immediately accessible and catchy as they come, the compositions generally deliver…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/close-to-complete-darkness I found the previous offering by these French sickos titled Lowest Depths of Misery (2022) an utterly amazing and well-crafted piece of work that appealed to all manner of morbid instincts, and the great news is that their latest album, which is fittingly called Close to Complete Darkness, is even…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/5MZaV1Opk9UlcmhFV83z3H?si=U7jKhEl9SVmQsxt_vwiGEg Somewhere between the strangely uplifting and the deeply morose is where you will find the latest musical endeavor by ambient drone rockers Picture Ann, namely the one-track digital single sporting the exquisitely brooding moniker that is A Dark Stretch Between There and Home. Inspired by the notion of searching for…
BAND URL: https://housecorerecords.bandcamp.com/music The massive joy of seeing the legendary name that is Pantera pop up on various festival posters and tour itineraries and whatnot these past few years cannot be overstated. The two icons and legends that are Philip H. Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) teamed up with the inimitable Zakk Wylde (guitar)…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/extinction-protocol From across the pond comes the malevolent duo known as Primitive Warfare, and this relentlessly aggressive and inhumanly brutal American onslaught is very much the aural embodiment of all-out war, global death, human disaster, and even more death! Comprised of Pu239 (drums/vocals) and U235 (guitars/vocals), these guys essentially offer a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/death-darkness-decay This is so frigging great and wicked! It is also grimy and loathsome as fuck, but yeah, this six-song output by the Swedish death metal mongers known as Putrified truly does the trick for me and ticks nearly all the right and nasty boxes. Although rooted in old-school death metal…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/Eddieandthewolves/ What a delightful surprise this Derby-based act is! These talented and hard-rocking blues rockers conjure up a massive amount of groove and countless golden hooks on this refreshing and robust 9-song record of theirs, and the whole thing is literally a treasure trove of strong, bouncy riffs and superb vocal…
