Latest Reviews
There are way too many records released every week - which one should you listen to? We want to help you by reviewing lots of records every week and you can also check out a little teaser before reading the whole thing. And if you want to, you can also browse through our archive and have a look at the amazing records you might have missed out on.
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First Draft - Declines Are Long Gone
16 Feb 2022 - Ben
Rock / Post RockThe dynamic French duo return to the fray with their second studio release – a multifaceted 5 track EP that’s part quiet introspection, part self-motivational speech and part fight song.
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Zeal & Ardor - s/t
15 Feb 2022 - Stephan
Black Metal, Gospel, Synthwave, SoulAs much as Zeal & Ardor has been stirring waves in the metal world since its rather unnoticed inception in 2013 and eventually going viral in 2016, the existence of this new album should never be taken for granted. Because with a music project based on some random internet douche’s joking suggestion to mix black metal and “n-word” music - what is actually supposed not to go wrong?
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Bank Myna - VOLAVERUNT
14 Feb 2022 - Sebastian
Post-RockBank Myna’s debut album is unlike anything I have reviewed so far. The Parisian trio created something beautiful, haunting and captivating, which is perfect for this misty time of the year. Join me on an adventure into the soundscapes of VOLAVERUNT.
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Salo - From Melmac With Hate
12 Feb 2022 - Thorsten
Noise-RockJames Bond and ALF meet in France… sounds like a bad joke? Not if you think like Salo: the French noise-rock trio released their debut record last month and it should be something for all those who like Metz, Thee Oh Sees or Pissed Jeans. Powerful, straight to the point and uncompromising. Sounds intriguing, right?
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Cult of Luna - The Long Road North
11 Feb 2022 - Jonas
Post-MetalCult of Luna from Sweden are the current torchbearers of modern post-metal and they have been a band for nearly 25 years now. They have not, however, shown any signs of slowing down, save for that mostly introspective period between the albums Eternal Kingdom (2008) and Vertikal (2013), where they went through some lineup changes. During the nine years since then, they have released a split EP with The Old Wind, a universally lauded collaborative album with Julie Christmas, a few live albums, a studio album, and an EP. It has only been a year since their last release and now it is, once again, time to prepare yourself for a gruesome journey, on “The Long Road North”, their ninth studio album!
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We Broke The Weather - We Broke The Weather
10 Feb 2022 - Daniel F.
Prog RockBy its very definition, progressive rock should challenge, surprise and add value to the genre as a whole. Over the years we have seen many bands come and go - some leaving more of a lasting impression than others - lots of which get stuck in the rut of writing what they think prog ‘should’ sound like, rather than how they feel it ‘could’ be perceived. When the Massachusetts quintet We Broke The Weather hit my radar a few weeks ago, it didn’t take long for them to cement themselves as the latter in my mind, and since then their debut album has drilled itself deep into my consciousness by way of creative hooks and brave, diverse songwriting. In other words, it’s bloody good.
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Comeback Kid - Heavy Steps
10 Feb 2022 - Sebastian
HardcoreWhen reading the name Comeback Kid one thing immediately comes to mind: No nonsense oldschool hardcore. In the twenty years since their inception they only released seven albums, which isn’t a lot, when you consider that every album clocks in at about 30 minutes. So how does their new album Heavy Steps hold its ground?
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Norna - Star Is Way Way Is Eye
09 Feb 2022 - Simon
post metal sludge metalThe debut album by Norna comes roaring out of the deepest recesses of the earth to delightfully pummel you into a new way of thinking
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Thought Trials - Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing
08 Feb 2022 - Jonas
Post-Rock / Post-HardcoreSince June 2020, the Buffalo-based solo project called Thought Trials has released two EPs and four stand-alone singles, and now it’s finally time for the genre-bending debut album – Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing!
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Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up There
07 Feb 2022 - Thorsten
Indie-Rock, Post-RockApart from the fact that one should always be proud of one’s children – especially if they do their best – today was one of the glory days for this author when our nine-year-old came to me while I was listening to Ants From Up There, the new record by Black Country, New Road. First and perfect comment: ”That is quite jazzy, huh, daddy? But it’s not real jazz!” So true, so proud!
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Deeper Graves - The Colossal Sleep
04 Feb 2022 - Thorsten
Post-PunkAt the end of last year we had a sequence of three days with reviews of new releases by three different projects/bands that all shared one musician: Jeff Wilson, known for his work in many bands like Abigail Williams or Wolvhammer. A few days ago, Wilson’s project Deeper Graves released its next record and of course, I had to give it a listen and also a review as happy about the record as I am. Enter: The Colossal Sleep.
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Cloakroom - Dissolution Wave
03 Feb 2022 - Thorsten
Doomgaze, Shoegaze, Indie-RockSomewhere in a non-existent universe there was a tiny bridge between the oeuvre of The Melvins and some faint and fleeting college-rock in the vein of “Walking After You” or “If You Could Only See” - a bridge that has been steadied and refurbished with some nice My Bloody Valentine-ornaments. Who built it? Cloakroom did! Why they built it? Because they can!
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Rolo Tomassi - Where Myth Becomes Memory
02 Feb 2022 - Gene
Progressive, Mathcore, Post-Hardcore, Post-MetalRolo Tomassi burst back onto the scene with the final part of an unintended trilogy that began with 2015’s Grievances and continued with 2018’s Time Will Die And Love Will Bury It.
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There's A Light - For What May I Hope? For What Must We Hope?
01 Feb 2022 - Wouter
Post-RockI like that you don’t have to look to the obvious countries (hello US, UK and Scandinavia!) anymore to find really good post-rock. Good post-rock is being written all over the world these days. But to give credit where credit is due, Germany has been doing more than their fair share of heavy post-rock lifting the last couple of years.
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Violet Cold - Səni Uzaq Kainatlarda Axtarıram
31 Jan 2022 - Jonas
Blackgaze / Voidgaze / Blackened TranceWhen you realize that Violet Cold has released a dozen albums since 2015, you definitely start to believe the biography that states that, and I quote: “Violet Cold is an experimental AI simulated music project from 40°22’37.7”N 49°50’51.6”E”, and that’s without counting the instrumental versions, the EPs, splits and standalone singles released along the way. A couple of days ago, on January 31, the project released yet another EP out of the blue, called “Səni Uzaq Kainatlarda Axtarıram” – Just like that!
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Tears Of Fire - Relics Of Ancient Love
30 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Oriental Doom, Blackened DoomThis record kind of closes the circle for me for this month as my first review of the month was on Dakhma‘s new album and on this last review for the month some similar kind of blackened doom metal with lots of Middle-Eastern influences can be heard. German-based band Tears of Fire gives us some cleverly arranged songs full of samples, sounds and strings!
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Shoreline - Growth
29 Jan 2022 - Sebastian
Emo / Pop punkClean-ish guitars, heavy drums and lyrics with attitude. These three things sum up the music of Shoreline pretty well. The four musicians are the newest signing to End Hits Records who now finally, after a longer than expected waiting time, release their second album Growth.
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Boris - W
28 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Drone, Ambient, DreamgazeSometimes things must be clear cut and to the point as my friend Maarten would always advise me! So let‘s make it clear: Boris‘ new record W should be on a lot of AOTY-lists for 2022 because which other band is perfectly in the middle of SunnO))), Sigur Ros, and the Melvins?! None!
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Amon Tobin - How Do You Live
27 Jan 2022 - Skyler
Ambient, Experimental, AvantgardeAmon Tobin is a long standing, experimental, and sonically complex composer who has completed 10 albums in 25 years. Beyond his work as Amon Tobin, he has also worked under the names: Cujo, Two Fingers, Only Child Tyran, Figueroa, and Stone Giants. The catalog of albums he’s built so far has established a strong and distinct sound, utilizing resampling and heavy amounts of synthesis played in on a Continuum. I recall a video in which he records tapping light bulbs together to make percussion sounds for a different album.
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Nordic Giants - Symbiosis
26 Jan 2022 - Jonas
Post-Rock / Neoclassical / CinematicRôka and Löki are the highly enigmatic members that make up the cinematic post-rock duo Nordic Giants. Through a successful crowdfunding campaign, they are now back with their first album in five years – Symbiosis! Here are my thoughts on the album, my first experience with them, and how their audio-visual concept brings their live shows to a completely different level.
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Deathcult - Of Soil Unearthed
25 Jan 2022 - Knut
Death MetalTrue to their roots in classic Death Metal, the Swiss Deathcult releases an album with crushing riffs, tight rhythm sections and intense growling death metal vocals. Just as frenzied, in a controlled way, as this kind of music should be. Their inspiration from Swedish Death Metal of the 90s is obvious, but they have their own distinct musical style and blend it with Black Metal and with some nods to Trash Metal. This mix makes it a riveting listen and makes you long for those tumultuous, sweaty gigs that we have been missing these past two years.
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Lucida Dark - Of Death, Of Love
24 Jan 2022 - Jonas
Post-Rock / Progressive / Post-MetalBy now, the Nebraska-based post-rock outfit, Lucida Dark, has become a household name of the genre. What’s that? You’ve never heard of them? Well, buckle up kiddo, because you’re in for a ride! They just released their debut album, “Of Death, Of Love”, and it’s of the highest order.
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Celeste - Assassine(s)
23 Jan 2022 - Jonas
Black Metal / Post-Metal / Screamo / Sludge metalIt’s been four long years since the French quartet, Celeste, released “Infidèle(s)”, but now they’re finally back with their aural mayhem, in the shape and form of “Assassine(s)”, their sixth studio album, which is also their debut on Nuclear Blast! I had the absolute privilege of experiencing a few of these new tracks live in concert last year, one of very few I had the chance to attend.
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So Hideous - None But A Pure Heart Can Sing
22 Jan 2022 - Thorsten
Avantgarde MetalWriting a review about the latest record by New York-based Avantgarde-metal outfit So Hideous is, on the one side, really difficult – because there is so much to talk about. Writing a review about None But A Pure Heart Can Sing by New Yorkers So Hideous is, on the other side, pretty easy – because there is so much to talk about. It should be clear that this is a record to talk about!
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Hollywood Burns - The Age of the Saucers
22 Jan 2022 - Daniel R.
SynthwaveHollywood Burns, not to be confused with the Johnny Depp/Alice Cooper/Joe Perry “supergroup” Hollywood Vampires or the rap-rock ensemble Hollywood Undead, is the name under which Frenchman Emeric Leverdon has chosen to release his brand of synthwave. He released the second album under the moniker, titled The Age of the Saucers in November, it’s the sequel (yes, sequel!) to 2018s Invaders and I’m not going to beat around the bush, because this album definitely doesn’t, it’s a cracker!
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