Reviews

The Russian AN602 hydrogen bomb is the most powerful weapon ever created. It was built and tested in 1961.The resultant explosion created a mushroom cloud that was seven times higher than Mount Everest. It was named the ‘Tsar Bomb’. And so is this band. You do not think of sunny Malaga (Spain) as a fertile place for an Armageddon inducing, ...

Releasing a Greatest Hits album can sometimes end up being a tricky business for a band. Do it too early in their career, and they risk looking pretentious. Too late, and nobody cares. But it can be a powerful tool if released at the right moment, with the right set of songs on it. And that’s exactly what rockers 3 ...

So lets start with Monuments. Instrumentally they are heavier than a sledgehammer of dark matter to the cranium but with that comes a perfectly melodic accompaniment.  What lets the London quintet down is vocalist Matt Rose’s seemingly crisis of faith.  Does he want to sing cleanly, with a gruff edge, scream or rap?  Is it still 2000 and people are ...

‘Broken Jaw’ is the first release with Light You Up’s new front man: Guildford’s Tom Napier. He brings a passionate new sense of substance to the 5-piece band. With the addition of his soulful singing, and remarkable vocal range, the band has created an album full of fresh, newly minted, melodic moments. Shouldering the sure-footed single Foxfire, the mini-album also ...

Deftones returned, for all intents and purposes, with their breathtakingly brilliant 2010 release Diamond Eyes. Having released two relatively sub-par albums in the period between this and the now modern classic White Pony, some had begun wondering if the band would ever release another truly great album again. Building on the successes of Diamond Eyes, Deftones returned to the studio ...

I’m not usually a fan of melodic hardcore, I often find all the twists, turns and taking the scenic route incredibly tedious. I’d love to say exactly the same about Departures latest release, but I can’t. If there are any melodic hardcore cynics out there reading this, this might be the album that changes your mind. Hopefully it’s not a ...

The brainchild of Heart in Hand’s Charlie Holmes and Hearts Under Fire drummer Lexi Clark, it is a surprise that the Try Me/Love Me don’t have hearts in their name somewhere.  But this is beside the point.  There was part of me that thought that Holmes would trade in the trademark gruff vocals and screams of Heart in Hand for ...

The 29th of October marked the momentous occasion that was the worldwide release of the 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe 6 CD limited edition Velvet Underground & Nico box set. Re-released in all its beauty via Universal Music/Polydor, Velvet Underground & Nico is arguably one of the most iconic, groundbreaking albums in all of rock history. It is widely regarded as ...

Death metal is not usually this reviewer’s forte, and after choosing to review it on the grounds that the title of the album and the name of the band were cool all preconceptions were dropped. This album is really cool, whether you are a fan of the style or not. Each track includes a quote about Christianity, religion in general ...

Off the back of their latest Monumental Rager Ex-Lives, Every Time I Die returned to the UK to prove why they are one of the biggest live acts in hardcore. Then again, if you’ve ever been lucky enough to witness their beer-fueled, southern rock inspired brand of mayhem before, you will know they have nothing to prove really. They never ...