Reviews

'Project Regeneration Vol. 1' is an album plagued by some less-than-memorable songs, which sadly outnumber the good ones. Though it initially promised to bear Wayne Static’s final performances, the listeners only get half of them, with the rest to be released in the future as Volume 2, a move which only winds up hurting the quality of what will likely be Static-X’s swansong.

Wind your clocks back to 2013. HAIM had just exploded onto the indie-pop scene with the phenomenal debut, 'Days are Gone' - an album which paved the way for an onslaught of incredible female talent which came in their wake. The album held up throughout the years, making it onto many best-of lists at the end of the decade. 2017’s follow-up, the breakup album 'Something to Tell You', missed a little of the confidence and knowing spark which their debut had, perhaps in favour of some more emotion and sprawling energy. Now back with their hotly-anticipated (and COVID-delayed) third full-length release, how will 'Women in Music Part III' hold up?

Classically-trained esoteric vocalist and pianist Maud the Moth is back with 'Orphne', her follow-up to 2015’s 'The Inner Wastelands'. At once exquisite, terrifying, introspective, haunting - this album deserves your time and attention. Listen to by candlelight, on the next full moon.

Owen is the solo project of Mike Kinsella, a man whose name is etched into emo history as part of American Football, Cap ‘n’ Jazz, Owls and Joan of Arc. His solo work offers an introspective invitation to his inner most thoughts and with 'The Avalanche', we may have his most open collection to date.

Sitting down with the newest Phoebe Bridgers album was always going to be an intimidating task. One of the most exciting new names on the folk/indie rock scene, Bridgers received a lot of attention for her debut, 'Stranger in the Alps', not least earning her a guest spot on the new Hayley Williams album. But can she keep the momentum going with follow-up, 'Punisher'?

In one of the most significant moves of their career, Lamb of God have returned with their eighth studio album after a gap of five years. It’s self-titled, it’s the first one with new drummer Art Cruz, and it’s released during a time of immense global upheaval. So, how does it hold up?

France has become a hotbed for superb metal acts in recent years and as a result has been gaining much deserved notoriety around the world. One band that has sprung forth in recent years is Temnein, who have been quietly honing their craft in the underground for some time now, releasing two previous albums - '404 B.C' and 'White Stained Inferno' - which showed a level of creativity and forward thinking that far surpassed their years. Now, in 2020, the band may have just penned the defining release of their blossoming career. The album is entitled 'Tales: Of Humanity And Greed' and shows the band pushing their particular brand of melodic death metal into brave new territory.

After what is sure to be one of their most successful tours ever, supporting Canadian mastermind Devin Townsend, Haken return with a new studio offering, in the form of 'Virus'. Recorded in secret this new album serves as a follow-up to 2018’s Vector, with the events taking place twenty years afterwards. So, shall we return to Mountview Institute?

The 1975 aren’t a band to do things by halves and their fourth album, 'Notes On A Conditional Form', is a fine example of this. Chiming in at over eighty minutes long and twenty-two tracks in length, it has provided the perfect platform for sound experimentation as we see rock, pop, hip-hop and even house tracks make an appearance. After a number of release date delays, do good things really come to those who wait?

PATRÓN, the new project of Lo, previously of Loading Data, is a curious melting pot of influences, from fifties rock ‘n’ roll to ‘80s synth pop. Carried by the instantaneously recogniseable vocals of Lo (aka PATRÓN himself), this band have their sound absolutely nailed, but are frequently let down by repetitive, and at times, uncomfortable lyrics.