This is the fourth album from French heavy rockers Appalooza.
The successor to 2023’s The Shining Son, The Emperor of Loss contains 50 minutes, (with bonus track), of Appalooza’s characterful hard rock. Blending the classic rock, stoner, alternative, and grunge styles together into a collection of compelling songs, Appalooza have once again hit that sweet spot that most modern rock bands easily miss. Continue reading “Appalooza – The Emperor of Loss (Review)”
This is the debut album from Belgian heavy rock band Killjoy.
Killjoy have an engaging sound that embraces a few different influences and fuses them into a very engaging form of modern rock. Across 34 minutes, elements of electronica, screamo, progressive rock, punk, and post-metal are all swallowed up and spat out in the form of seven charismatic tracks that hit the spot. Continue reading “Killjoy – Dream and Violence (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Scottish rock band Vukovi.
My God Has Got a Gun operates in a less-defined place where rock and pop collide. Throw in some nu-metal influences too, and you’ll have a good idea of where Vukovi are coming from. Continue reading “Vukovi – My God Has Got a Gun (Review)”
This is the third album from UK modern rock band Holding Absence.
I’ve enjoyed watching the ascent of Holding Absence over the years. From 2019’s Holding Absence, to 2021’s stepping-up-a-level second album The Greatest Mistake of My Life, to the thoroughly scrumptious split with Alpha Wolf from last year, this is a band who keep developing and improving. Continue reading “Holding Absence – The Noble Art of Self Destruction (Review)”
Tigercub are a modern rock band from the UK and this is their third album.
I don’t often reach for rock, but when I do I typically want short songs, big hooks, and darker moods. Enter The Perfume of Decay. Across 41 minutes Tigercub tick all of these boxes and more, delivering exactly what I want from a contemporary rock band that has plenty of 90s influences thrown into their sound. Continue reading “Tigercub – The Perfume of Decay (Review)”
Alpha Wolf are an Australian metalcore band and Holding Absence are a UK modern rock band. They have teamed up for this split release.
Alpha Wolf, (check out A Quiet Place to Die), give us two songs, lasting just over six minutes in total. Continue reading “Holding Absence & Alpha Wolf – The Lost & the Longing – Split (Review)”
This is the second album from Battering Ram, a Swedish hard rock/metal band.
Battering Ram play a combination of old-school hard rock and classic heavy metal that is then wrapped up in a modern delivery. Second to None is 36-minutes of raw fun and polished talent. Continue reading “Battering Ram – Second to None (Review)”
This is the debut album from Sarayasign, a rock band from Sweden.
Occasionally you stumble, blindly, across an album that is a real gem. Throne of Gold is exactly one such release. Sarayasign’s rock style may have fallen out of fashion some time ago, but that doesn’t change the fact that what they have produced here is a damn good album. Continue reading “Sarayasign – Throne of Gold (Review)”
This is the eighth album from US metal band Whitechapel.
I do enjoy a bit of Whitechapel now and again, (Our Endless War, Mark of the Blade, The Valley), so Kin has come along at the right time. After the advances in style and songwriting of The Valley, Kin continues where that album left off, treading similar ground, while also broadening the band’s stylistic reach further. Continue reading “Whitechapel – Kin (Review)”
Reach are a Swedish rock band and this is their third album.
Reach play song-based rock music, and they have produced 38 minutes of this for us to enjoy on The Promise of Life. You can imagine Reach as a mix of bands such as Muse and Queen, as a rough starting point. Continue reading “Reach – The Promise of a Life (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 