Taking Back Sunday are one of those bands who a lot of people have some memories of enjoying in their teenage years, before they discovered that they really preferred head banging to Metallica, or maybe that’s just me. However, they are still a band and they are still very much on the go having recently reformed with their original line up and having now released their sixth studio album Happiness Is.
Truckfighters – Universe
Entering the world of Truckfighters is always an interesting experience, despite originating in Sweden they sound like they’ve come straight out of Palm Desert, California in a fog of smoke. Their fourth album Universe came out in February and is a collection of stoner rock tracks drenched in the world of Kyuss and co.
Of Mice and Men – Restoring Force
It’s easy to forget that Of Mice and Men are still relatively young in their career. It feels like you have been hearing about them for years, yet in reality they are barely five years old and Restoring Force is only their third album. It’s the album they will be hoping pushes them away from their peers, with a bit of change in sound away from their metalcore roots and an embracing of the chunky bouncy riffs that we all associate with that brand of metal we describe as nu.
Gaslight Anthem – The B Sides
In the last few years The Gaslight Anthem have been wheedling their way into people’s hearts with their big choruses and Springsteen tinged rock and roll. Therefore, it’s not really a surprise that there has been a slight cash in on this popularity with the release of The B Sides a collection of, unsurprisingly, B sides. The question then has to be asked whether this is worthy of inclusion in the Gaslight discography, or like many before them should this be a collection of B side that should have stayed in the vault.
Skindred – Kill the Power
Skindred should be the biggest band on the planet. I know I started my live review in the exact same way, but I’m going to keep saying it until it’s true. With the release of their 5th album, Kill the Power, Skindred look to continue proving me right (spoiler: they have) and continue their quest to try and capture their live energy on record, with their supposed failure to do so the one criticism that tends to be launched their way.
Alcest – Shelter
I imagine most of the people who find their way onto my blog would remember Alcest from their post-black metal early albums. Over the last few years however, much like a growing number of their contemporaries, Alcest have found themselves leaning closer and closer to the post part of their sound and in turn leaving the black metal far behind. So if you are reading this due to your interest in black metal it might be better to look away now. As in it’s wake they have become a shoe gazing post rock band, the likes of whom generate an aura of cool that I’ve never quite understood. Continue reading “Alcest – Shelter”
Ginger Wildheart – Albion
Seven albums in two years, all funded by his fans. Is Ginger Wildheart an example of the future of the music industry? I don’t know, but I’m definitely not complaining about it. Those of us who are on the wagon have already got our hands on the most recent Pledge funded Ginger album, Albion, which see’s him returning to the studio with the band he has been touring with for the last few years.
Against Me – Transgender Dysphoria Blues
“No more troubled sleep, there’s a brave new world raging inside of me.” Sometimes music transcends it’s genre. It becomes a hell of a lot more important than words on a lyric sheet or notes in a song. I think it’s fair to say that the latest Against Me album Transgender Dysphoria Blues could be placed into that category. Telling the story of a women trapped inside the body of a man it follows lead singer Laura Jane Grace’s decision to come out as a transgender woman, it is a piece of music that tells much more than just the story hidden away within the songs.
Bruce Springsteen – High Hopes
Bruce Springsteen is a man who should need no introduction, back with his eighteenth studio album High Hopes The Boss has taken the unusual decision of forgoing the normal writing process and instead releasing a selection of reworked tracks and some covers. He’s joined, as usual, by The E Street Band but also be a few new additions including one Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) who has been playing with the great man live.
Skull Fist – Chasing the Dream
If you call your band Skull Fist you should really have a certain obligation towards your audience. That band needs to play music as ridiculously brutal as the name, but with just that touch of cheese. It’s a name that shouldn’t take itself too seriously, sadly Chasing The Dream fails to hit those goals.
Ramblings About Wrestling 