Album review
Smash
The Offspring
The Offspring sound heavy even when they are writing a pop hook. On Smash, the guitars have a rough, solid weight, and Dexter Holland's high voice pushes against them with ver…
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Reviews
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Album review
Periphery V: Djent Is Not a Genre
Periphery
The jazz passage in Wildfire is a revealing interruption. After an intense opening of low guitar attacks and harsh singing, Periphery introduce piano and saxophone without mak…
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Album review
The Lash
The Dirty Nil
The Dirty Nil still sound as though a good riff is enough to improve most situations. The Lash gives that belief a harder test than usual. Luke Bentham's writing is more perso…
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Album review
Lotus
Soen
The title track of Lotus makes its strongest impression through the space around Joel Ekelöf's voice. The arrangement begins delicately, then grows in force without losing the…
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Album review
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise
The Dear Hunter
Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise brings The Dear Hunter's melodic rock and orchestral ambitions into a colourful, theatrical setting. Strings, horns and layered singing are central …
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Album review
Bleed American
Jimmy Eat World
The opening guitar attack on Bleed American is a useful reminder that Jimmy Eat World can sound anxious as well as reassuring. Jim Adkins pushes his voice hard, the rhythm is …
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Album review
Parrhesia
Animals as Leaders
The most interesting conversation on Parrhesia takes place between the drums and the two guitars. Animals as Leaders make their parts overlap in ways that can feel unstable, t…
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Album review
The Mandrake Project
Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson gives himself a lot of room on The Mandrake Project. His first solo album in nearly two decades moves between heavy metal, darker rock and long, reflective arr…
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Album review
Disclaimer II
Seether
Disclaimer II is an unusual album to judge because it gives Seether's debut a second life rather than simply following it. The original songs return with revised sound and add…
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Album review
In Our Bones
Against the Current
Chrissy Costanza makes In Our Bones feel more assured than its familiar material might suggest. She can push a bright pop-punk chorus hard, then soften her delivery without so…
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Album review
The Seventh Sun
Bury Tomorrow
The Seventh Sun gives Bury Tomorrow a wider space between its two vocal extremes. Dani Winter-Bates's growl remains forceful, while Tom Prendergast's cleaner voice can move th…
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Album review
Jar of Flies
Alice in Chains
Turning the guitars down doesn't make Alice in Chains sound much happier. Jar of Flies proves that very quickly. This seven-song EP gives the band's darker instincts a quieter…
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Album review
Secret Samadhi
Live
Lakini's Juice has a guitar sound that does a good part of the storytelling before the lyric needs to make sense. The riff is heavy, slightly slippery and impossible to mistak…
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Album review
The Greatest Generation
The Wonder Years
Growing up rarely follows the order you expected. The Greatest Generation makes that uncomfortable discovery sound enormous, turning worries about family, work and falling beh…
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Album review
That's the Spirit
Bring Me the Horizon
The title of That's the Spirit sounds encouraging, but the music keeps questioning that encouragement. Bright, easily remembered choruses carry anxiety, disappointment and exh…
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Album review
Everest
Halestorm
Lzzy Hale has never had a problem making herself heard. The pleasure of Everest is how many different ways she finds to do it. There are huge rock choruses, darker passages, b…
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Album review
Freak Show
Silverchair
Freak makes its point with a riff you can remember almost before the first chorus. Silverchair's second album is often that direct: a strong guitar shape, a firm rhythm and Da…
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Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys
My Chemical Romance
Colour suits My Chemical Romance on Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys. The guitars are bright, electronic sounds have a larger role, and Gerard Way often si…
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Album review
Heaven and Hell
Black Sabbath
Ronnie James Dio changes the way Black Sabbath's music moves on Heaven and Hell. His vocal lines often travel across the guitar riffs instead of following their shape. That gi…
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Album review
Chapter V
Staind
The guitar details are what keep Chapter V interesting. Aaron Lewis brings the familiar emotional pressure, but Mike Mushok often supplies a second line of thought around him.…
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Album review
Rivers of Nihil
Rivers of Nihil
Rivers of Nihil have changed a few important things without losing the strange mix that makes them interesting. Adam Biggs takes over lead vocals on this self-titled album, wh…
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Album review
Billy Talent
Billy Talent
Ben Kowalewicz does not have a voice that disappears into the background. On Billy Talent, his high, abrasive delivery can sound almost unreasonable, especially when he pushes…
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Album review
South of Heaven
Slayer
Slayer make patience sound dangerous on South of Heaven. The slower tempos give the guitar figures room to become uncomfortable, while Tom Araya's more controlled vocals bring…
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Album review
Revelations
Audioslave
Revelations gets more from a groove than from a dramatic entrance. Audioslave's third album puts the bass and drums closer to the centre of the writing, giving Chris Cornell a…
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