Superb tone, heavy rock smoothly captured – a new metal take with a twist of grunge, indie, post-punk. Jessica (Fucking) James gifts iconic vocals, to the infectious and timeless alt-metal anthem No Such Thing.
Hard Rock
Stylistically, Friendship Commanders have their own thing going on entirely here. The songwriting, for me, tips its hat to the likes of Pearl Jam, for its depth and reflection, its meandering melodies – that meeting of the unpredictable and the satisfying. Again though, there’s something clearly their own about these lyrics, and the way they’re performed.
“One of my favorite authors, GK Chesterton, once said something along the lines that a bad book will tell you something about the author, but a good book will tell you something about yourself.”
A song for the people, World War Infinity reacts to the authoritarianism that threatens our freedom, and reflects upon the ongoing destruction of progress – the ruling class’s greed and thirst for power. It’s a song of despair, but it’s rooted in hope, and that positive angle is ultimately what resounds, as we roll through these hugely impassioned moments of all-together-now chorus.
From an explosive new album, an intoxicating and fierce fusion of electronic pulsating rhythms and heavy metal layers of synth and guitar – German creative act Nordstahl reaches peak musical appeal, with the boldly intense and unignorably catchy anthem Ragnarök in Berlin.
It’s an exciting, dark and engaging listen, and every time those quiet moments take hold, the wait for the drop is immense, and the hook ultimately pierces through with a perfectly captured vibrancy and passion.
Featuring the perfect balance of slick, distorted riffs, high energy, the roar and melody combined to create pure impact, BLOOD DRIPS leads with an hypnotic level of rising anticipation, following whispered, grunge-like vocals through tuneful verses, towards the full rock explosion of an instrumental drop.
Intensely heavy yet soulful, poetic and cinematic, up-tempo and both energising and evocative. Oathforged is a confronting and awakening listen, and offers a whole new highlight from the upcoming full-length album. Mythrend have made sincere promises to raise the bar, and so far, they’re outright refusing to back down on their word.
Forged In Shadow (Bound by Fire) is the boldly cinematic heavy metal introduction, an electrified and poetic hard-rock arrangement and delivery, built around the iconic Lord of the Rings story, and showcasing both the intricate craftwork and essential contrast of composer and performer Mythrend through its cascading layers.
Fellow Mancunians The Alicias carve out a refreshingly organic and energised lane, as their brand new EP What In Me Is Dark? intertwines conceptual depth with nostalgic alt-rock passion and power.
Noting fragments of speech from the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. and JFK, Told You So is a bold and beautiful remedy for disconnection. It cries out with gritty realism and passion, on behalf of any and all who’ve felt disconnected or left behind during these trying modern times. It’s a song for the activists, the truth seekers, those who fight for justice, and it speaks volumes for those who are tired of being silenced.
No-one breaks down the limiting walls of genre and expectation with more ferocity and style than HOLYMAMI. This summer the eclectic and unpredictable artist launches a five-track EP of originals, and the intriguingly titled TRAP THERESA is every bit as artistically uninhibited and creatively free as fans have come to hope for.