Spiritual Beggars - Earth Blues (Album Review)

For better or for worse, classic rock and metal seem to have undergone a resurgence in popularity in recent years, especially in contrast to the declining fortunes of previously “revived” subgenres like thrash. Spiritual Beggars aren’t one of a new wave of bands paying their debts to the seventies however. Instead they are a bunch of latter day metal veterans who have also played in, amongst others, Arch Enemy and Carcass (guitarist Michael Amott), Firewind (vocalist Apollo Papathanasio) and Opeth (keyboardist Per Wiberg).

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 17 April 2013

Heights - Old Lies For Young Lives (Album Review)

Rewind two years and Heights were preparing to release their debut record, the ferocious ‘Dead Ends’, a record that propelled them near to the top of the UK hardcore scene at the first attempt. In the intervening period between that release and this, their second album, however the band has undergone a major line-up change in that former lyricist and vocalist Thomas Debaere has left the band, with former bassist Alex Monty stepping up to the frontman position.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Wednesday, 17 April 2013

House Of Love - She Paints Words In Red (Album Review)

Between the year of their formation in 1986 and their split in 1993, The House of Love built up a solid fanbase with 2 excellent albums, both eponymously named although the second of these is commonly known as ‘the butterfly album’ in reference to its striking cover art.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Spin Doctors - If The River Was Whiskey (Album Review)

You can be forgiven for remembering Spin Doctors as one-hit wonders, with their vastly overplayed radio friendly 1993 number 3 UK chart hit 'Two Princes' being the song in question; some may also recall the only other single to trouble the upper echelons of the singles chart, 'Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong'. 

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Barn Owl - V (Album Review)

It’s strange to think of Barn Owl as a guitar band but in a sense that is exactly what the duo of Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras are. The smoky soundscaping of latter day Earth and the power of Sunn O))) are the reference points that many will choose to immediately adopt but, on ‘V’, Barn Owl sound more themselves than ever before. This is a release that cements their status as one of the premier acts in the experimental music world.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 15 April 2013

Stone Sour - House Of Gold & Bones: Part 2 (Album Review)

I’ll be honest, aside from 'Get Inside' and 'Bother', both songs from over ten years ago, I’d never really bothered listening to Stone Sour before this album entered my inbox. I always knew they were good, but they just never entered my radar somehow. Now, I’m buying the entire back catalogue. That is how good this is.

Written by: James Ball | Date: Thursday, 11 April 2013

A.S - Exile (Album Review)

When you receive an album created by a duo, consisting of an Australian classically trained pianist who has conducted operas and ballets and an Algerian guitarist who cites influences as diverse as Kirk Hammett and Paco de Lucia, described in it’s press pack as a "labour of love over more than 2 years", you think it’s going to be complicated, difficult and quite likely a bit incoherent. Somehow what A.S. have managed to come up with is immediately likeable and easy to enjoy.

Written by: David Ball | Date: Monday, 08 April 2013

Hey Colossus - Cuckoo Live Life Like Cuckoo (Album Review)

London based octet (yes, octet, because eight-piece bands are the new power trios) Hey Colossus have been around for over a decade now, yet they still remain firmly shackled to the underground from whence they came. Then again, something would surely be amiss with the mainstream if the rampant prog stoner noise sludge concoction that defines ‘Cuckoo Live Life like Cuckoo’ was anything other than an underground concern. This is the sort of record that would elicit little more from most people than a bemused scratch of the head.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 05 April 2013

Tartufi - These Factory Days (Album Review)

Tartufi are one of those pop bands that aren’t a pop band. They try to fool us into thinking that they are actually somewhat obtuse loop obsessed alternative types when, in reality, they are as much in love with the pop hook as any of us. As a result, with ‘These Factory Days’, they have created an experimental rock album that is as easy to fall in love with as it to admire.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 05 April 2013

Depeche Mode - Delta Machine (Album Review)

Since 1997’s 'Songs Of Faith And Devotion', electronic giants Depeche Mode have released a steady stream of studio albums every 4 years; 2013 sees the continuation of that trend with their 13th long player, 'Delta Machine'.

Written by: Graeme Marsh | Date: Wednesday, 03 April 2013

Eric Johnson - Up Close-Another Look (Album Review)

Listening to Eric Johnson conjuring his unique cosmos of ethereal soundscapes is like having your spirit massaged by a dozen velvet gloves. Unsurprisingly, this long awaited follow up to 2005's 'In Bloom' finds the master of soul piercing guitar tones in exquisite form, showing that his ability to evoke stunning visual imagery with profound emotional resonance remains unmatched. Usually a perfectionist of Kubrickian proportions, these beguiling compositions reign in that clinical precision to produce a 'live' sounding record bristling with kinetic spontaneity. Featuring guest appearances from Steve Miller, Jimmy Vaughan, Jonny Lang and Sonny Landreth, Johnson trips the light fantastic through ambient interludes, picturesque instrumentals, spiritual ballads and more to sire an album as enchanting and awe inspiring as his classic 'Ah Via Musicom'.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Joe Bonamassa - An Acoustic Evening At The Vienna Opera House (CD Album/DVD Review)

Is Joe Bonamassa (pictured, image © 2013 Marcus Sweeney-Bird for CGFilm) trying to bankrupt his fans? This decade alone he's released 3 solo albums, a live package from New York's Beacon Theatre, a trio of studio efforts with Black Country Communion and a live album/DVD of their last tour. As well as collaborative records with Beth Hart and Rock Candy Funk Party. In truth, Joe's Bonaholic followers would be delirious if he released an album a week given the excellence of each offering to bear his increasingly famous name. That winning streak continues on this double live CD/DVD combo, with Smokin' Joe performing acoustic renditions of his tracks at the majestic Vienna Opera House, backed by an exotic cornucopia of instruments from around the world. Another Bonamassa release. Another eclectic left turn. Another home run. You can't put a price on quality.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Annie Dressner - East Twenties (EP Review)

Following on from her full debut release ‘Strangers Who Knew Each Other’s Names’, which was positively reviewed by everyone including Stereoboard (here), Annie Dressner will launch her follow up EP ‘East Twenties’ in early April. Named after the neighbourhood she called home in New York before moving to the UK, ‘East Twenties’ contains just 4 tracks and barely makes it past 12 minutes but the quality more than makes up for the brevity.

Written by: David Ball | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Frantic Alice - Frantic Alice (EP Review)

In their reasonably short time together, Milton Keynes hard rockers, Frantic Alice, have been accumulating their achievements fast. Though young in years, they nailed their place as one of the five finalists in the Marshall Ultimate Band Contest last November and have now produced 'Frantic Alice' the EP.

Written by: Anna Ghislena | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Kvelertak - Meir (Album Review)

With their self-titled debut album Kvelertak took the heavy music world completely by surprise. They emerged seemingly fully formed. Their catchy black metal/classic rock/hardcore punk hybrid model worked better than it ever had any right to. Not to mention the fact that their live show wiped most other bands off the face of the planet. So, it is easy to see how ‘Meir’, their slightly amusingly titled sophomore effort (it literally translates as “more”), could buckle under the weight of pressure.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Killswitch Engage - Disarm The Descent (Album Review)

Metalcore. It's become something of a dirty word nowadays, hasn't it? Usually associated with skinny jeans, false angst and uninspired breakdowns, the sub-genre that once threatened to dominate the universe now lays largely abandoned by the media, left alone like the weird kid in the corner of the class. Credited for exposing this behemoth of a musical style to the mainstream, Killswitch Engage have returned with original vocalist Jesse Leach back in the fold. Not to dismiss Howard Jones' efforts on classic tunes from 'The End Of Heartache', but you'd be a fool if you regard their 2002 opus 'Alive Or Just Breathing' as anything other than a modern classic. Obviously, due to the astronomical expectations set by this beast of an LP, the band have never quite managed to equal or surpass it. Now they're all reunited and chummy again, can we hope for something a bit better than their lacklustre self-titled release back in 2009?

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Tuesday, 02 April 2013

Moya - A Little More Love (Single Review)

After last year’s amazingly successful single ‘Making Me Fall’ spent three weeks on the BBC Radio 2 A-list, Moya’s back with her new single ‘A Little More Love.’ It’s a self-confessed changed of direction, and Moya describes her new single as "a bit of a transition…with this single I wanted to incorporate the kind of music that I listen to. I think it’s important to keep my sound current."

Written by: V O'Hagan | Date: Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Portico Quartet - Live / Remix (Album Review)

Live albums are tricky beasts. Nail them and you create a spectacular document of a moment in time, don’t and you produce something that is the very definition of a “fans only” release. Remix albums are even trickier. For every great remix record there are a dozen or more totally pointless ones. By pairing together these two concepts then, Portico Quartet are putting themselves straight in the firing line. Last year’s fantastic self-titled record moved them up in the world, and their star is flying about as high right now as any experimental jazz outfit in the UK is ever going to fly in this day and age.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Tuesday, 26 March 2013

Jeff Healey - As The Years Go Passing By: Live in Germany 1989 – 1995 - 2000 (Album/DVD Review)

It's been five years since Canadian guitarist Jeff Healey lost his life to cancer at the age of 41. Released to commemorate the anniversary of his passing, this box set is a lovingly assembled compilation of rare archive material featuring three concerts recorded and filmed in Germany over an eleven year period – 1989, 1995 and 2000. It's a riveting collection that shines a light on the inimitable man and his no frills - maximum skills, bluesy rock & roll band, tracing their evolution from fresh faced pups to seasoned pros. With a booklet full of tasty anecdotes from family and fellow musicians, this is the first posthumous release to have been officially endorsed by his estate. All in all, a fitting tribute to a virtuoso musician who mesmerised and entertained with one of the most bafflingly unorthodox guitar styles ever seen.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 25 March 2013

The Flaming Lips - The Terror (Album Review)

You could be forgiven for thinking The Flaming Lips had finally lost it completely. This is a band that, with 2001’s ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’, pretty much perfected pure pop music as an artistic format, but ever since they seem to have lost their way. Diversions back into the psychedelic experimentation of their early years have come across as too placid and unfocused to be consistently rewarding, whereas collaborative efforts like the ‘Heady Fwends’ record last year have mostly ended up on the wrong side of the brilliant/goddamn awful line.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Monday, 25 March 2013