Rozwell Kid might finally be able to catch a break now. Even though they’ve been knocking around since 2011 with three full-lengths, numerous splits and a compact fanbase under their belts, that big push to get them over the hill and into more stable territory has yet to arrive. It wouldn’t be too much of … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Precious Art’ by Rozwell Kid
A common stigma attributed to more technically-minded acts is the constant dourness that surrounds them, and that both they and their fanbase see their craft as the pinnacle of musical class and achievement. CHON clearly aren’t one of those bands. There are few pretensions towards high-concept depth on Homey, the California math-rockers’ sophomore album that … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Homey’ by CHON
Apparently the reason that a lot of “true” metal fans hate Babymetal is because such a ridiculous concept is “killing metal”. As such, it’s kind of ironic that those exact people are the ones that a band like Iced Earth have the most appeal to, especially considering there’s nothing inherently more ridiculous about them than … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Incorruptible’ by Iced Earth
Punk bands just don’t know when to call it quits. Whether it’s the remnants of their original DIY ethos or simply the necessary way of keeping their wheels spinning, the length of time that the genre’s old guard manage to hang on for is undeniably impressive. For Rancid though, the latter option feels clearer than … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Trouble Maker’ by Rancid
For most people, any knowledge of CKY begins at recognising the riff of 96 Quite Bitter Beings and ends with the fact that drummer Jess is the brother of Bam Margera. Dig a bit deeper and the now cult classic status of their 2002 album Infiltrate•Destroy•Rebuild becomes evident, but from a purely outside perspective, this … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘The Phoenix’ by CKY
Emo’s love affair with all things atmospheric and moody is nowhere close to finished just yet, meaning there are plenty of new faces trying to get as much mileage out of the sound as they can. Pine are exactly that sort of band, positioning new EP Pillow Talk to hit the same that Citizen and … More EP REVIEW: ‘Pillow Talk’ by Pine
While politics and music are both ever-changing landscapes, Rise Against can always be counted on to consistently bring the two together in a raucous, eloquent fashion. Across their eighteen-year career, they’ve brought issues like worrying suicide rates in gay teenagers, school shootings and the impact US consumerism has on third world countries to the attention … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Wolves’ by Rise Against
Lately, it’s been a lot easier to talk about Volumes in any way other than the music. Between label disputes, lineup changes and multiple touring injuries, their actual music has been left overshadowed. That’s not exactly difficult though, as they’ve always spent their time skulking around tech-metalcore’s back rows, coming up in conversation but never … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Different Animals’ by Volumes
The new album from Eighteen Visions could be a lot more important than it seems on the surface. On paper, this is a band who have never broken beyond a cult following ending their decade-long hiatus, but XVIII can also be seen as the album to dictate whether Eighteen Visions will follow the same path … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘XVIII’ by Eighteen Visions
The Miss May I of both 2012 and today could be two completely different bands. One was riding high after the release of At Heart which could’ve thrust them to modern metal’s top table; the other is struggling for relevance and momentum with a series of noticeably diminishing returns. No prizes for guessing which is … More ALBUM REVIEW: ‘Shadows Inside’ by Miss May I
