It’s raining heavily all day, so this was the best choice for a review. It is always good to be pleasantly surprised with a band you have not been familiar with. Such is the case with the Spanish doom/death metallers Sun Of The Dying, whose second full length The Earth Is Silent drops at the..
Imperial Jade – On The Rise (Listenable Records)
If you were expecting some kind of Euro-rock hybrid, with a hint of flamenco or paella-heavy lyrical content, think again... Imperial Jade are a Spanish hard rock band who released their debut album in 2015, and whose second album On The Rise was originally released in Spain only. Fortunately for the world at large, On..
Infringement – Alienism (Crime Records)
This lot got together one cold November evening in Oslo in 2015, them being Norwegian, the plan being (as with all of us?!) to guzzle whiskey and contemplate forming a band. Infringement was formed shortly after and their debut album Transition released in 2017. This was a concept album exploring the development of a single..
Collateral – “Collateral” (Roulette Media Records)
Well, this lot have had a busy year! British four-piece rock band Collateral are set to release their highly anticipated eponymous debut album on February 21, 2020. The year started with the release of their debut EP 4Shots! on November 17 2018. This featured a single "Midnight Queen" which got to the top of the..
STRAWBS – DEEP CUTS (Esoteric)
a mix of more commercial, easily melodic material alongside harder-edged fare for those who didn't want too much sugar with their Strawbs! By 1976, when Deep Cuts originally appeared, The Strawbs were getting to the end of their original 1970s run, and would split following two more albums, in 1978. The previous album, 1975's Nomadness,..
Malone Sibun – Come Together
Only “the most exciting blues rock super-group in the UK” right now. That’s the label being applied to Malone Sibun by the European Blues Awards ceremony, despite not yet having an album released. Malone Sibun are a partnership of soulful UK-based Detroit blues-rock star Marcus Malone and British blues rock guitarist Innes Sibun, who met..
CHRISTOPHER HOLLAND – GOLDEN HOUR (Nova)
if well-written, fun music with poetic observances about life would add to your day, then check this out. Singer/songwriter Christopher Holland’s new release Golden Hour brings the '70s back to life. Fans of artists such as Gerry Rafferty, Kenny Loggins, and the Carpenters will fully appreciate the vibe of this album. The songwriting includes the..
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR – LIVE AT TRENT POLY 1977 (SFM/Angel Air)
Contrary to the revisionist history we are often fed, 1977 was not merely some kind of NME/Sounds battleground with ‘punks and hippies’ slugging it out via two falls and a mellotron. Going back an astonishing 42 years, making some of us who were, if not ‘angry young men’ at the time then at least ‘mildly..
Hysteria – Night Closing In (Church Recordings)
Well, this certainly looks like a match made in …. hm… (heavy metal) heaven? Hysteria is not a new band, but a thrash project of drummer Mike Smith and vocalist and guitarist Jake Nunn (both from Hell Fire), which has self-released two albums so far, the last one of which – as far back as..
Acid Reign – The Age Of Entitlement (Dissonance Productions)
Back in the day, the UK may have been a little late to the thrash party but there were plenty of bands wanting to make their mark. One of those bands is Acid Reign who were formed in 1985 and were picked up by Music For Nations’ subsidiary label Under One Flag on the back..