RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/malignancy Malignancy is quite possibly one of the most inhuman and raw-sounding musical documents that I have come all year, and I am perfectly okay with that, thank you very much. The guitar tone is akin to slime and immediately establishes an atmosphere that can only be described as utterly unpleasant.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024 BAND URL: https://replicant.band/ Most of the time a reviewer generally agrees with others on the quality of reviewed material, differing but in a slightly lower or higher score or a few subjective details, but, every once in a while, one has to stand out from the pack and call an album average…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.dellanovaband.com/ This is a rather interesting British outfit that came about during the pandemic, and which falls somewhere between alt. rock and grunge with an original twist. Crafted and composed by main man Alex Bowmer, these eleven melodically strong compositions possess an experimental quality that sets them apart from much else…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/storm-season-remaster Storm Season, the fourth full-length journey by renowned prog outfit White Willow, was recently remastered by the group’s very own Jakob Holm-Lupo, and the sparkling new edition will see the light of day in mid-December thanks to the good people at Karisma Records. Did I mention that it will be…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://tobyjepsonofficial.com/ Renowned songwriter, screenwriter, record producer, and radio host Toby Jepson is as talented as they come, but as much as I admire his work with Wayward Sons, it is rather refreshing to once again hear same brand-new solo compositions of his. “Look Out!” marks the first musical chapter of a…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://trojkabergen.bandcamp.com/album/strobem-rke Norwegian prog-pop rockers Trojka is a rather engaging and entertaining musical experience and an entity that brings a certain warmth and humor to its eclectic brand of music. Quirky is certainly one word that comes into play here, and the great thing about this Bergen-based outfit is that these chaps…
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/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/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://christbane.bandcamp.com/album/psalm-i Bestial and relentlessly aggressive black metal madness is occasionally what the mood calls for and when that happens it is nice to know that the abhorrent musical entity known as Christbane is out there and ready to serve one’s needs, right? I got turned on to the band via Regimental…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/untimeband I will be the first to admit that I have never previously crossed paths with the Tønsberg-based outfit known as Untime, but this catchy and easily digestible little 4-track EP of theirs is an enjoyable offering that serves up plenty of earth-shattering riffs, big and juicy grooves, and a punchy…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/bowmenband/ The German hard rockers known as Bowmen are back with their third full-length album and one that sees them marrying varying influences from 60s blues rock, 70s hard rock, early 90s grunge, and even a bit of alt. rock to good effect. Rooted in the sounds of old yet putting…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/smokingsnakesofsweden/ Yes, this is just what I was in the mood for today – a raunchy and fiery blast of sleaze metal with a raw edge and a lively atmosphere to it. Swedish delinquents Smoking Snakes recently released this eleven-track debut offering of theirs via Frontiers and it ticks a lot…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/cobrakillrocks/ The German heavy metal/hard rock outfit known as Cobrakill unleashed their sophomore effort a couple of months ago via Frontiers and this 12-track slice of fiery fun is filled with adrenaline-fueled riffs, gang vocals, and a bad-ass attitude. There is no shortage of vigor and quality to this 80s-inspired blast…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HBC3DZwjOaVS5TQEt7fwB Medusa turned out to be a rather uplifting and enjoyable listening experience to these ears – more so than many of the other Frontiers projects conceived by the label – due to the style and tone of the record having a cool, groovy, and seventies-ish hard rock vibe to it.…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/DurbinRock/ I quite enjoyed the pounding heavy metal exercise by the talented singer James Durbin that was The Beast Awakens, which came out in 2021. Rooted as it was in classic eighties-flavored metal inspired by the likes of Accept, Judas Priest, DIO, Jag Panzer, and NWOBHM in general, it provided lots…
RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://pragata.bandcamp.com/album/rise-of-the-new-empire-demo-2024 Released in early February via Bandcamp and sporting a brilliant and perfectly evocative album artwork, this 4-track slice of harsh and hypnotic black metal by the US horde known as Pragata is catchy as hell and rather well-arranged. Its gloriously lo-fi sound and the unpolished nature of the song material…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/queer-blues-the-hidden-figures-of-early-blues-music-published-6th-july-2023?_pos=1&_sid=c7511005c&_ss=r The immensely talented author Darryl W. Bullock composed one of the best books of 2021 in the shape of Velvet Mafia, and its follow-up titled Pride, Pop and Politics (2022) was yet another thought-provoking and illuminating study of the LGBQT community in relation to British music history, culture, and society…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.brujeria.com/ The Californian grindcore death metal groove act Brujeria (Spanish: witchcraft), which performs their vocals exclusively in Spanish, was formed by John David “Juan Brujo” Lepe, Patrick “Adam Bomb” “Fantasma” Hoed, William David Gould “Güero Sin Fe” Junior (Faith No More) Eric Reed “Jello Biafra” “Hozicón Jr.” Boucher and (until…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/ceremonial-blood-worship What we have here is filthy and rotten death metal from Italy courtesy of the ugly quartet known as Morbid Sacrifice, and this short and pulverizing record of theirs is undoubtedly one of the catchiest outputs that I have come across lately. Efficiency is clearly something that these guys are…
