Album Review: Melvins - Tarantula Heart Reviewed by Carl Black We will have heard about the Melvins, we know them from back in the day, feeding off the hype that grunge generated but still having that authenticity of being around before it. And we know Buzz Osborne, the Melvins leader, forever present and can write a song in a moment's notice. We also know that Melvin's albums are fairly dependable. They come along at a fairly regular rate. 'Tarantula Heart' is everything you'd expect from a Melvins' album with one difference, this album is centred around the first song 'Pain Equals Funny ..read more

Album Review: Dool - The Shape of Fluidity Reviewed by Liam True Combining goth-rock with doom & post-hardcore elements sounds like a mess and not worth anyone's time. Dool however have taken those concerns and not only crushed them but blended them so they’re not an issue. The Shape Of Fluidity takes the concept of changes. Personal, physical, psychological etc. But it isn’t a concept album per se. More like acceptance and understanding of one’s-self. Venus In Flames starts the proceedings as vocalist/guitarist Raven Van Dorsts’ haunting voice echos through your eardrums before the band ..read more

Live Review: Kris Barras Band - Academy 2, Manchester14th April 2024Support: The Nocturnal Affair and South of Salem Words: Dan Barnes Photos: Tim Finch This is my third trip to Manchester’s Academy complex in the last six days. I’m getting to be on first name terms with the staff and am running the risk of having to register the place as a second home for tax purposes. But that’s something of a First World Problem and it’s never a chore to pop into town for a show; especially not one of this mouth-watering calibre. I was shocked to see it’s been more than two years since Kris and his band ..read more

Album Review: My Dying Bride - A Mortal Binding Reviewed by Gareth Pugh The masters of the morose, My Dying Bride, are back with another full-length release, the fifteenth of their career, and their first for four years. It’s always great to have these gloomy Yorkshire tykes back, this time with seven brand new psalms of sorrow and grief, with a runtime of around the 55-minute mark. Kicking off with the bleeding torment of ‘Her Dominion’, which starts with huge monolithic riffs, and twisted melodies, the stabbing guitars courtesy of guitarists Andrew Craighan and Neil Blanchett, and Dan Mull ..read more

Candlemass Announce 'Tritonus Nights’ Live Album SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION TRIPLE VINYL SET CONTAINING A COMBINATION OF SPELLBINDING PERFORMANCES OF THE ‘EPICUS DOOMICUS METALLICUS’ AND ‘NIGHTFALL’ ALBUMS FROM SÖDRA TEATERN, SWEDEN.  As Candlemass quickly approaches a new milestone of four decades of existence, this special triple vinyl set, ‘Tritonus Nights’, includes stellar recent performances of both the ‘Epicus…’ and ‘Nightfall’ albums in their entirety, which took place at the esteemed Södra Teatern in Stockholm, Sweden in November 2021, with the double-night event a fitti ..read more

Kerry King Announces London Headline Show KERRY KING has announced his first UK headline show for London's Electric Ballroom for Tuesday 18th June. Tickets are on sale at 10am today (17th April) at the Live Nation ticket store. The show will come in the wake of his first ever UK solo band appearance at Download Festival at Donington Park on Sunday 16th June. KING's solo debut album, From Hell I Rise is set for a 17th May release via Reigning Phoenix Music. Last week he unveiled another taste of that album via the video of 'Residue,' which you can watch below. Co-directed by Jim Louvau and To ..read more

Album Review: Blue Oyster Cult - Ghost Stories Reviewed by Patrick O'Reilly Following their recent 50th anniversary best of the mighty Blue Oyster Cult have yet another new album to unleash on us, though this one is far from a regular release. Ghost stories, a subtle little nod to both the rarity and age of these recordings and to the bands supernaturally tinged subject matter is the perfect title for this album. It comprises of material long sought after by fans of the band, namely rehearsal material and work in progress recordings from 1979 – 1983, with the exception of last track “If I Fe ..read more

DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Follow Me Dark Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions. This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we find Follow Me Dark sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil's Island?  Find out now...   &n ..read more

Album Review: Obscurial - Heretic Reviewed by Sam Jones Obscurial. Malaysian extreme metal. Sold. Whilst I’ve covered numerous records from various regions of the earth, Malaysia certainly hasn’t been one of them. But, formed in 2019 right out of the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, Obscurial are a death metal act who have been slowly releasing material as early as 2020 with their first Demo, Exaltation. The band unleashed their first full length work in late 2021 with Funeral, Burial And Rites independently but, now three years on and signed on with Memento Mori, Obscurial are looking to relea ..read more

Iress Launch New Single 'Falling' The stalwart Los Angeles-based dream metal band, IRESS, has just released the first single “FALLING” from their upcoming album Sleep Now, In Reverse. IRESS’ music is the sonic equivalent of standing on a beach as a tidal wave approaches -- aware of certain devastation, yet transfixed and grateful to witness something so terrifyingly beautiful. Drawing inspiration from dark, yet commanding elements including metal, shoegaze, and slowcore, their music presents a cinematic crescendo that swells with intensity and wanes with sorrow. Check out the latest single ..read more