Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

GraveRipper

Seasons Dreaming Death
Wise Blood Records (2023)

Indianapolis based black/thrash four piece GraveRipper formed in 2019 and have previously released three EP's , one being a split. Seasons Dreaming Death is their first full length album release. GraveRipper have made sure they have well and truly smashed out a proper rager with Seasons Dreaming Death with ten tracks of masterful fusion of fast paced thrash interspersed with some classic metal and infectious riffage! Fans of Exodus, Slayer and other similar thrash legends will appreciate GraveRipper, however there are inflections of Kreator and definitely some Iron Maiden styles in the pacing, structure and instrumentation as well which makes for good listening. Seasons Dreaming Death is well structured and produced. A couple of tracks are a little muddy but not distracting. I love the high treble sound of Keegan Hrybrk's lead guitar alongside the dark melodic rhythm of Corey Parks. Chris Pilotte has his bass at just the right level to really pop through when needed and the talented drumming of Jacob Lett brings it all together with speed and precision. Corey Parks also takes on the vocal role, with an attack and inflection similar to that of Tom Araya (Slayer) , Mille Petrozza (Kreator) or Tom Angelripper (Sodom) … Read more

The Oxys

Generation Irrelevant
Dead Beat Records (2023)

Arms outstretched in the desperate hope of fulfilling dreams that had dissipated, longing for when life was simpler devoid of … Read more

The Crimson Ghosts

Forevermore
Ring Of Fire Records (2023)

Recently I admitted I am a fan of more conservative horrorpunk. It might come as no surprise that I am … Read more

What Goes Up

Laws of Gravity
Brassneck Records, Rad Girlfriend Records, Waterslide Records (2023)

Based on the name, pop-punk sounds like a limited genre. There are a million bands that sound like the Ramones. … Read more

Meet Me @ The Altar

Past // Present // Future
Fueled By Ramen (2023)

Meet Me @ The Altar has been THE pop-punk trio pushing us to the edge of our seats in anticipation … Read more

Bruise Control

Useless for Something
TNSrecords (2023)

Bruise Control is a new-ish punk band from Manchester. The band definitely checks off the boxes of the style, mixing … Read more

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One from the archives

Young Fathers

Cocoa Sugar
Ninja Tune (2018)

Every once and a while there will be an album that pretty much levels the musical plane, one that becomes an earworm in the most serious of ways, rendering everything else kind of secondary. For me, right now, that is Cocoa Sugar by Young Fathers.It’s hard to classify exactly what genre the Edinburgh, Scotland-based group are, because they encompass so many different ones at once. It’s a little hip-hop, it’s a little indie rock, and then there’s some weird touches of R&B. They won the Mercury Prize in 2014 for their debut album Dead and were featured prominently on last year’s Trainspotting 2 soundtrack. Cocoa Sugar is a densely layered collection melding Gospel choirs, skitter-stop raps and Radiohead-inspired sound beds.I keep coming back to it time and time again because … Read more

More album reviews

Diabol Boruta

Borutus Akustikus
Via Nocturna (2023)

Polish folk metal band, Diabol Boruta (or The Devil Of Borut), released this nine track acoustic album, Borutus Akustikus, through Via Nocturna Records in March this year. This is the bands fifth studio alum and is a selection of their songs performed acoustically with additional instruments and arrangements, featuring one previously unreleased track. Borutus Akustikus was created after the band … Read more

VNV Nation

Electric Sun
Anachron Sounds (2023)

Considering VNV Nation have been around for most of my life and are one of my favourite bands both on record and live, it’s weird to say that this is the first time I am writing some kind of review about them. Being more versed in the metal side of the musical sphere probably has something to do with it, … Read more

Viceprez

Tropical Connexion
Adagio830, Bigoût Records, Dispear Records, Don't Trust The Hype, Inhumano, Shove Records, Sonatine Produzioni (2023)

I like whisky tastings. Especially the ones I organize with my buddies. It is an ideal environment to catch up with them and share loads of small talk and silly humor. The second best thing about those tastings is that tasting more whisky’s you’ll be able to catch certain nuances I wouldn’t normally discover when tasting a single whisky. When … Read more

Origami Angel

The Brightest Days
Counter Intuitive Records (2023)

I’m not biased. Not really. I just don’t like it. It, being pop-punk. I’m just young enough that the initial wave of melodic, palm-muted, nasal voiced rock revival passed by while I was listening to Hannah Montana on my parent’s five disk stereo. However, I’m just old enough that I don’t find the modern-day nostalgic rehash all that impressive. There … Read more

The Penske File

Half Glow
Stomp Records (2023)

Take equal parts The Gaslight Anthem, Menzingers and blue-collar arena rock like Tom Petty or Springsteen, with a dash of The Clash, Dave Hause, and American Steel, and you’ll have some idea of what to expect with The Penske File’s latest, Half Glow. The results are often mixed for me when punk bands lean toward classic rock and introspection. I’m … Read more

Various Artists

Godspeed... A Tribute to Pierre Kezdy
Independent (2023)

It’s probably been 30 years since I heard my first tribute album and I’m not sure my opinion has changed. There are usually 1-2 really good covers, some mediocrity, and an unfocused tone. They’re often underwhelming, but the exceptions to this rule keep you coming back to the format. Fortunately, Godspeed is one of those exceptions. This record is from … Read more

Bloodletter

A Different Kind Of Hell
Wise Blood Records (2023)

Bloodletter are a four piece thrash metal outfit from Chicago, Illinois and are here to assault your ears in the best possible way with their new album, A Different Kind Of Hell. Formed in 2012 and performing highly toned and proficient thrash/speed metal with melodic undertones and solo's to die for. A Different Kind Of Hell is their third full … Read more

Los Morts

Slasherpunk
We Are Horror Records (2023)

When it comes to horrorpunk I am rather conservative. I usually appreciate bands more if they stay close to the template the Misfits created. My favorite bands in the genre took that template and made it their own, but stayed close to the original. This requires great skill: don’t stray to far from the path to loose me, but also … Read more

Parker

Never Let This Go
Independent (2023)

I like poppy punk: melodies, singalongs, all that predictable stuff. But I also like it rough around the edges, not the super clean production style of Ramonescore or whatever that garbage from the early 2000s that’s on the nostalgia train right now is. So I choose my words carefully because it seems pop-punk means different things to different people. And … Read more

Rancid

Tomorrow Never Comes
Epitaph (2023)

Other write-ups I see of Tomorrow Never Comes are basically calling this Rancid V, Part 2. The cover art looks a bit like the back of that album, actually. And while there is some merit to the comparison, I think that description is misleading. This record absolutely shares that style of short, repetitive, and angry punk songs but it has … Read more

Robby Bloodshed vs Voice Of Doom

Robby Bloodshed vs Voice Of Doom
We Are Horror Records (2023)

This four track EP is a collaboration of New Jersey's finest as seasoned punk/metal artistes Voice Of Doom and youngblood Robby Bloodshed battle it out to cover classic Misfits songs and then each others songs. Let the horrorpunk battle of the year so far, commence!! Starting off with a sample from the 1938 radio adaptation of H.G Wells's War Of … Read more

Queens of the Stone Age

In Times New Roman
Matador (2023)

“Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.” Since the decayed hands of time turned the page into a promising new decade, a whole lot has happened in this world. It’s been a harder road traveled for some of us than others. There’s been love and loss. Sickness and wellness. Dark and light. Like … Read more

Skating Polly

Chaos County Line
El Camino Media (2023)

I won’t condescend. I won’t explain to you what ugly means. You know what ugly means. The sale rack at Marshall’s, usually. The concrete apartment complex built in 1992 and never updated. The cake your seven-year-old niece decorated for you. Okay, that one might’ve been a little mean, but the point still stands. Ugly, ugly, ugly. You don’t need it … Read more

miniaturized

miniaturized
Independent (2023)

This self-titled record is the debut by miniaturized. While it’s their first record, the musicians have also played with the likes of Pinback, Rocket From the Crypt, No Knife, and more. You’ll pick up on hints and patterns from some of those groups here, but this record is an exploration of new styles and territories. While the band formed for … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)