Joe Bonamassa - Tour De Force: Live In London (Album Review)

You've got to hand it to Joe Bonamassa, the guy's certainly got balls. Even though he's part man, part blues-rock machine, by playing four London shows in as many days at different venues - changing musicians and setlists every night - he was potentially setting himself up for a magnificent fall. Factor in posters proclaiming it the 'Guitar Event Of The Year' and he'd essentially pinned a target on his back for critics to shoot at. Did he buckle? Not one bit.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Tuesday, 29 October 2013

Arcade Fire - Reflektor (Album Review)

Arcade Fire’s march from the fringes of the indie scene, where their captivating live shows made their name a valuable currency, to critical adoration and arena stardom has been one largely free of missteps.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Monday, 28 October 2013

Hellogoodbye - Everything Is Debatable (Album Review)

You probably know Hellogoodbye best for their super-catchy hit Here (In Your Arms), which landed in the upper reaches of the charts upon its release back in 2006.

Written by: Katie Vowles | Date: Monday, 28 October 2013

Leslie West - Still Climbing (Album Review)

Even if it saves your life, having your leg amputated must be a right bitch. It's been two years since Mountain guitarist Leslie West suffered that fate and he's responded in typically courageous fashion, channelling his horrendous experience into a mammoth hard rock album crammed with special guests, ferocious fretwork and an unflinching dissection of mortality.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Friday, 25 October 2013

Russian Circles - Memorial (Album Review)

There’s something about Russian Circles that separates them from your average post-rock trio. Maybe it’s the fact that all three members (bassist Brian Cook, guitarist Mike Sullivan and drummer Dave Turncrantz) are capable of turning in brilliantly dynamic performances without upsetting the balance of the band, or perhaps they are just better songwriters than most of their contemporaries.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Thursday, 24 October 2013

Paradise Lost - Tragic Illusion 25: The Rarities (Album Review)

Metallica celebrated their 30th anniversary with a slew of legendary shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The Darkness are blasting through their epic 'Permission To Land' album on its 10th birthday. There's probably even a few people holding out for a Crazy Frog comeback.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 23 October 2013

AFI - Burials (Album Review)

The band you once knew is gone, and it's not coming back. ‘Burials’, AFI’s ninth studio record, has been trumpeted in some corners as a return to the territory occupied on ‘Sing The Sorrow’, but any similarities here are heavily filtered through the quartet’s recent moves.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Gentleman's Dub Club - Forty Four (Album Review)

The 18 legged reggae, dub and ska fusion that is Gentleman’s Dub Club have finally put the finishing touches to their debut full length, ‘Forty Four’, having spent the last few years conquering the festival circuit.

Written by: Charlie Hurt | Date: Tuesday, 22 October 2013

Ihsahn - Das Seelenbrechen (Album Review)

With Emperor’s pant-wettingly anticipated return coming next year, you could be forgiven for giving Ihsahn's latest solo outing a miss. Forgiven for being an absolute fool. Not constrained by the brutal black metal trappings of the band that brought him to the attention of make-up clad misfits worldwide, Ihsahn continues to do things his own way.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Monday, 21 October 2013

Future Of The Left - How To Stop Your Brain In An Accident (Album Review)

If you’re a Future of the Left fan, then you won’t have been able to suppress a big fat grin when you heard of the band’s recent successful PledgeMusic campaign. After all, it’s doubtful that there is there another band in Britain so deserving as this Cardiff-based troupe, whose leader, Andrew Falkous, has been fighting to pump out the very best in discontented, tongue-in-cheek noise rock, with little reward, for well over a decade now.

Written by: Ben Bland | Date: Friday, 18 October 2013

American Fangs - Pomona EP (Album Review)

Bowling For Soup use a naughty amount of 'woah woah woahs' in their music. As do Dragonforce. As do Bon Jovi. American Fangs are here to rival this group of hollering racket-makers, with their 'Pomona' EP serving up the singalong soup in plentiful loads.

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Friday, 18 October 2013

The Graveltones - Don't Wait Down (Album Review)

For anyone impressed with the Graveltones during their time warming up for Rival Sons across the UK last spring, it's been a long, slightly anxious wait for their first full release, ‘Don’t Wait Down’.

Written by: Dave Ball | Date: Friday, 18 October 2013

Lissie - Back To Forever (Album Review)

American songstress Lissie Maurus is back, and this time she's pissed. With its leaner, meaner, yet more commercial sound, 'Back To Forever' finds her excavating the deepest depths of her contradictory psyche. From heartbroken angel to avenging heroine, home grown hippy to pop starlet, these feisty anthems come out swinging with a scorned anger and lost-in-the-big-city-loneliness that's occasionally contrived, but mostly infectious.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Thursday, 17 October 2013

College - Heritage (Album Review)

You can say what you like about French producer David Grellier, but it’s hard to call him lazy. To the casual listener, ‘Heritage’ will come across as mechanical, repetitive and even monotonous at times, but to leave it there would be missing the point. College represents a thoroughly measured approach to making music, where capturing an aesthetic is the most valuable thing.

Written by: Jonathan Rimmer | Date: Thursday, 17 October 2013

Kevin Devine - Bubblegum/Bulldozer (Album Review)

Having conquered the first of many hurdles in his path with a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, Kevin Devine has followed through on his promises and delivered two richly rewarding records with ‘Bubblegum’ and ‘Bulldozer’.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Trivium - Vengeance Falls (Album Review)

Trivium have had something of a rough deal over the years. Being heralded as 'the next big thing' after their 2005 masterpiece 'Ascendancy', they were soon chewed up and spat out again after the release of its underwhelming follow-up, 'The Crusade'. 

Written by: Alec Chillingworth | Date: Wednesday, 16 October 2013

Pearl Jam - Lightning Bolt (Album Review)

For just over nine minutes at the start of ‘Lightning Bolt’, Pearl Jam are on a roll. The grunge legends have been away for a while - ‘Backspacer’ is now four years old, the ‘Ten’ reissue two - but Getaway, Mind Your Manners and My Father’s Son find them in eye-popping form.

Written by: Huw Baines | Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Strange Names - Strange Names (Album Review)

Walk into any club today and you'll be bombarded with loud music - it might be catchy and make you want to move, it might have exotic influences or attack you with unrelenting beats. Whatever your fancy, give it a margarita and a beach chair and let it soak up the sun, and you'll have created Strange Names.

Written by: Heather McDaid | Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2013

Paul McCartney - New (Album Review)

It’s easy to feel sympathy for the plight of Paul McCartney. Being an elder statesman is a tough gig, and being an elder statesman in a field as fast-moving, reactionary and technologically-driven as pop music is something else. With ‘New’, his playfully-titled comeback after a few years on the sidelines, he’s taken shots at multiple targets and hit a few of them square between the eyes.

Written by: Gavin Rees | Date: Monday, 14 October 2013

Flying Colors - Live In Europe (Album Review)

In 2012, these prog rock Galacticos hit the road to promote their impressive debut album with a blink-and-you'll-miss-it world tour, capturing this gig in Holland on CD/DVD for the benefit of fans who weren't able to attend those shows. The result is an entertaining, albeit surprisingly workmanlike, package that adds enough extras to just about make it a worthwhile purchase.

Written by: Simon Ramsay | Date: Monday, 14 October 2013