Before the Frost...Until the Freeze gives the Black Crowes an interesting way to connect their rock and country sides. Recorded in front of an audience at Levon Helm's studio,…
Pink Lemonade takes Closure in Moscow into a colourful mixture of progressive rock, funk and psychedelic pop. The guitars still move quickly, but the rhythm section gives much…
Boggy Depot gives Jerry Cantrell's heavy guitar sound room to move beyond a straightforward rock setting. The dark riffs and layered voices are familiar, but country touches, …
Reunions gives the 400 Unit a clear role in Jason Isbell's songwriting. The band do more than support a strong voice or fill the space between lines. Their guitar parts, keybo…
Emarosa's self-titled album gives the band's melodic side a clearer focus. The songs use more familiar shapes and make Jonny Craig's singing the main attraction, with the inst…
Mannequin is bright, busy and unusually easy to enjoy for a record with this much going on. Kyros build it around large keyboard sounds, active bass lines and choruses that le…
Desperate Man gives Eric Church room to explore a rougher mixture of country, blues and soul. The songs are compact, with guitars, rhythms and background voices creating much …
Machina/The Machines of God brings heavier guitars back into the Smashing Pumpkins' music without leaving their more detailed, electronic arrangements behind. The sound is sub…
The Extremist gives Joe Satriani's instrumental rock a strong sense of variety. The heavier pieces have clear riffs and substantial rhythm playing, while acoustic passages and…
Chris Stapleton’s voice gives Traveller its immediate appeal, but the songs provide good reasons to stay. His solo debut moves between country, blues, Southern rock and soul w…
From Silence to Somewhere makes a strong case for older progressive rock sounds in a modern recording. Wobbler use vintage keyboards, active bass and detailed guitar arrangeme…
Godbluff gives Van der Graaf Generator a tense, direct sound without removing the complexity of their progressive rock. Organ and saxophone carry much of the instrumental weig…
What's Left Unsaid gives Foreign Hands a convincing full-length statement after years of shorter releases. Their metalcore draws clearly on the early 2000s, with harsh verses,…
Iridescent gives Silent Planet's heavy music a strong sense of atmosphere without making it feel distant. Complex guitar rhythms, electronic details and several vocal approach…
Unorthodox Behaviour gives Brand X a clear balance between intricate playing and a relaxed group sound. The music moves through jazz-rock, funk and quieter acoustic settings, …
U.K. brings four distinctive musicians into a progressive rock record that sounds surprisingly connected. John Wetton's voice and bass, Bill Bruford's drums, Eddie Jobson's ke…
Providence Canyon gives Brent Cobb's relaxed country singing a stronger rhythmic push. There is still plenty of room for a plain melody, but the band often moves towards south…
Fire by the Silos uses a mostly instrumental sound to tell a dark story. Toska combine large guitar riffs, quieter atmosphere and spoken passages around a character who has lo…
The Ash & Clay keeps the Milk Carton Kids' music close to its simplest parts. Two acoustic guitars and tightly connected voices carry the songs, with little between the writin…
Lykaia puts Soen's strength in the way the musicians work together. The Swedish band combine firm progressive rock riffs with quieter, more spacious passages, leaving Joel Eke…
Frances the Mute makes little effort to ease anyone in. The Mars Volta’s second album builds five long compositions into a sprawling mix of rock, jazz and Latin rhythms. It ha…
New Lords puts Mindforce's heavy guitar music into a particularly compact form. The songs move quickly, with thrash-influenced riffs, sharp leads and slower rhythmic passages …
Écailles De Lune finds much of its strength in the distance between its gentlest and most forceful music. Alcest use soft singing and flowing guitar lines to create a sense of…
Vol. II develops the quieter side of Hurt without losing the tension that gives their heavy rock its character. The arrangements have more room, and the acoustic instruments f…