Is there something in Umeå’s water supply? If not then there is some form of Hadean spell cast over the Swedish city as it seems to produce only the finest heavy music. Those of you not familiar with the North Eastern province in the Västerbotten will know of its exports, Meshuggah and Refused, two bands…
There have been plenty of musicians who have been able to call themselves “That guy from Guns n’ Roses” but there’s only one Duff McKagan. However, Duff McKagan is more than just a one band man. As well as releasing music as a solo artist, the Seattle native has appeared with Velvet Revolver, Alice In…
To paraphrase Doctor Steven Strange – a great philosopher of our age – “We’re in the hardcore age now”, and this call to arms has most recently been answered by Essex quintet, MTXS, and their new album Ache. In a world post-Code Orange’s Forever, we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of bands returning…
Lake Acacia are a fiercely ambitious alt-rock band from Oxford. The trio formed in 2016 and through diligent hard work have seen themselves amass a dedicated following across the UK. Having been featured in Kerrang! and on BBC Introducing several times, it’s fair to say they’re making some serious impressions. Now they gear up to…
Self styled and described as dance punk, Remo Drive’s latest album, Natural, Everyday Degradation sets out it stall as it means to go on: Two Bux is a bittersweet song that is as heavy on the danceable elements as it is on the melancholy. It has a hook you can sing a long to by…
Cut & Stitch is the second album from UK punks Petrol Girls. Like their previous work this is another furious blast of feminist punk. The thought behind Cut & Stitch is this ongoing patchwork of sounds and ideas. Both the bands musical influences and political ideas, that change is a constant process and this is something that…
Few bands in recent memory have so successfully harnessed the best and most beloved tropes of 70’s rock as Vancouver outfit Black Mountain. Over the past 14 years they have produced four fantastic albums, peaking with 2016’s IV. Bookended by the incredible Mothers of The Sun and Space to Bakersfield tracks, the bands fantastic melange…
Opening with minimalist bass and guitar and tom driven percussion that builds to bursting point is a smart way to kick off a release, and such is the beginning of the new Pleiades album. It sets the mood by sonically establishing the variety of heaviness set to unfold, in this case a face melting composite…
A new Amon Amarth album is always an event in the metal world. Our resident metal minstrels of the tales of the vikings have been steadily growing in popularity ever since their big breakthrough almost fifteen years ago courtesy of With Oden On Our Side. Their latest album, Beserker, seems set to propel them to…
After months of bubbling hype and a co-headline tour with Ducking Punches last November, Spanish Love Songs returned to Manchester’s Soup Kitchen with a victory lap for their breakthrough record, Schmaltz. Main support came in the form of the excellent Pkew Pkew Pkew (8), the Canadian punk band currently touring their sophomore effort Optimal Lifestyles….
