Hot on the heels of last year’s four-track EP Nocturnal Youth, comes Pistols At Dawn’s latest album Ascension (JFL Entertainment). The Atlanta-based quintet’s sound is alternative-influenced hard rock, and their newest one Ascension is a promising if patchy, display of heavy grooves and soaring choruses with a brooding atmosphere. Continue reading
As subtle as a brick and as silly as a juggling monkey riding a unicycle, Swedish Hard Rockers H.E.A.T are back with new album Force Majeure (earMUSIC). It is the Swedes seventh record and despite its over the top, everything and the kitchen sink nature it is a damn good time. It is a rich mixture of AOR, glam metal and hard rock with big riffs, flashy solos and huge choruses coming at you thick and fast. Continue reading
Founded in 2019 in their hometown Milton Keynes the duo Torus, Sail (MNRK) is their debut EP and sees Alfie Glass play guitars, drums, and singing and Harry Quin on the bass and behind the mixing desk. Only four songs long, it is a promising debut offering up big and punchy rock with an alternative flavour to it.Continue reading
A Hard Rock quartet from Sweden, Battering Ram’s sound is straight to the point, uncomplicatedly big rock and roll – with their aptly titled second album Second To None (Uprising Records) full of sizable riffs and choruses, with a Volbeat, Judas Priest, and nineties era Metallica flavour to it.
From the gang vocals, jangly guitars and infectious sense of hope of ‘Iconoclast’, Watford-based punks Nervus’ new album The Evil One (Get Better Records) gets under your skin. It is their fourth album and the pop, alternative and americana influences help to create an absorbing record.
Seven years after their previous, eponymously titled, album Def Leppard are back with Diamond Star Halos (UMG). It is a long gap between records and right from the off their trademark arena-ready hard rock is in full swing in ‘Take What You Want’ – with it’s crunching chords and touches of On Through The Night. The first three tracks conform to their trademark sound, with the seventies-inspired, glam stomper ‘Kick’ one of the highlights – they have compensated for the familiarity by stuffing it full of hooks. ‘Fire It Up’ is a hard rocker with a slinky little riff and daft and hackneyed lyrics designed purely for a singalong.
Bizarrely named Long Island quartet Moon Tooth’s new record Phototroph (Pure Noise Records) is a wonderfully eclectic one that mixes many disparate influences into one cohesive, and thoroughly absorbing, whole. From prog, rock, NWOBHM, and grunge to name but a few, Phototroph is a sprawling, unique and engaging offeringContinue reading
Nineties brit-rockers Reef are back with Shoot Me Your Ace (Raging Sea), their second album since their 2018 reunion. With original members Gary Stringer (vocals) and Jack Bessant (bass) joined by newer members Jessie (Ronnie Wood’s son) on guitar, Luke Bullen on drums, and the production and guitar work of Andy Taylor, Shoot Me Your Ace shows a band firing on all cylinders.
Formed in 2013, Stone Broken are a quartet who, despite their transatlantic sound, hail from Walsall. Revelation, on Spinefarm, is the British four piece’s third album and it is a polished slab of commercial hard rock.
Work on Greenbeard’s third album started four years ago, but numerous line up changes and the dreaded C word delayed things slightly. The wait is over as the Texan Stoner Rock groups third album, aptly titled Variant (Sailor Records/Kozmik Artifactz), is finally with us – it sees them mix fuzzy stoner rock with psychedelic, blues, soul and heavy metal influences.Continue reading