I can’t really think of another artist out there today that sounds quite like Depeche Mode’s resident iconic voice box Dave Gahan. That is, until I heard Aaron Thompson belt out some verses during the opening track off the latest EP from Empty Streets! Modern Electro and Darkwave combined with Old School New Wave and Synth-driven Pop, Age Of Regret is a blast from the past made in the present that’s resilient, rowdy, and immediately resonates.
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Lovelorn is one of those artists where, after the first single was released in waaaaay back 2020, we found ourselves constantly refreshing ye olde Inbox waiting for what was coming next. Learning that the group was comprised of former members of Creepoid only made the anticipation/impatience grow stronger and we’re happy to report that the end result is simply marvelous. Beyond reproach even! The most precious debut you’ll cradle in your paws this year!
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There’s something about this recent second coming of Dee Snider that leaves a constant permagrin on my face because there’s very few artists out there today who can masterfully infuse some genuine FUN into Metal the way that Mr. Snider can. On his latest offering, the even more METAL follow up to 2018’s For Love Of Metal (Sweet jeebus, has it really been three years since this beastie?!?!?), Snider does just that with one heavy ass record that’s a cerebral celebration of the loudest musical genre.
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We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: The best kinds of albums are the ones you weren’t expecting. Sure, I’m aware that the Industrial juggernaut known as The Joy Thieves is out there making killer tunes but legitimately had no clue that not only was a proper full-length on the way but that it features the legendary vocalist (And frequent collaborator/Joy Thief) Chris Connelly on ALL 15 tracks. And let’s be honest here, who else is more suited to act as the maniacal ringleader over a veritable army of musicians who have collectively backed such diverse vocalists as David Bowie, Henry Rollins, Iggy Pop, Jaz Coleman, Al Jourgensen at one point in time?
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There’s few records these days that, due to the strength of a lead single or two, compel me to anxiously await when a promo will hopefully filter into ye olde digital desk. The latest from Blutengel is one such record and the singles in question, “The Victory Of Light” and “Wie Sand”, have been on constant repeat since their initial release in late April and mid-May. The album in question, Erlösung – The Victory Of Light, is practically a love letter to the Goth scene and the match ready to light a fire under our collective asses once we can safely dance like no one’s watching in our most favorite darkened clubs.
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While they may be labeled as “Alternative Metal” in some of their more recent bios, it’s kind of doing Germany’s LANTLOS a grave disservice to not throw “Prog” in the mix as well after hearing their fifth full-length, Wildhund, due out soon through Prophecy Productions. If you want to do right by LANTLOS then consider them this band out of time that meshes Prog and Nu-Metal much the way underdogs like Pulse Ultra and The Apex Theory did in the mid-aught’s, occasionally dips into the deep Post-Punk well that Course Of Empire lurked in while also mixing it up with heavy hitting contemporaries like Four Stroke Baron with the Pop sensibilities of Foo Fighters. Get it? Great!
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Listening through Pilgrims, the sophomore shredder from New Zealand’s Planet Of The Dead, is a fucking blessing. Conjuring up a vibe akin to the earliest Clutch material or, for local folks, Motherboar, Pilgrims is all the chunky riffage and monstrous vocals you’d ever need with nods and inspiration from some of the absolute best Horror and Sci-Fi flicks of all time to bring listeners an unbelievably unforgettable slab of molten Rawk!
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I may have mentioned this theory here before but I have one about the structure of the perfect album and, without getting too much into the whole breakdown, the basic components to start is that you need that banger of opener to grab new listeners’ attention right away. Maybe it’s the new anthem or that hit single (Or lead single in general) that’s been floating around for a bit but whatever it is, it needs to to trigger that instant familiarity and reel the ears in. But it’s the second track that’s actually the most important one because that’s the one that needs to make sure those hooks stay put so maybe it’s the heaviest, the most diverse…the most everything, really.
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It seems like barely a few weeks back we were waxing poetic on the Money Fight release featuring the man who has made it his mission to inform you, the music lovin’ public, of what sounds should be hanging out in your headspace. The man in question is not only a non-stop treasure trove of musical delights produced by his own hand but also a great supporter and promoter of countless other rad artists around town and beyond that you should most definitely be hip to. Hell, researching the artists that helped out here on Several Nudes has caused a deep dive on a slew of other bands and albums so even when he’s not trying, Dug McCormack is helping spread the gospel of righteous Rawk to the people.
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Dense and divine, Become Ethereal by Sundrowned is a debut that just screams to be heard. Actually, a hodgepodge of Post-Black Metal goodness from Norway, Become Ethereal is less an album that needs to be heard and more an experience that needs to be felt from start to finish.
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