Single and EP Reviews

Welcome back Phoenix, Arizona based thrash metallers Flotsam And Jetsam as they release a brand new single ‘I Am The Weapon’, which is also the same title of a forthcoming 2024 studio album. Time goes so fast as I can remember buying their debut album Doomsday For The Deceiver in …

Birmingham UK based noisy bastards Gnawing Hunger don’t just release their new single ‘The Great Illusion’, they UNLEASH it! Sonically it reminded me of Hell Awaits era Slayer, mainly because of the superhuman drum battery that doesn’t let up throughout these three thrashtastic minutes of an aural assault to the …

Following on from the behemoth ‘Grey Morality’ single, Birmingham based noisemongers Vanitas return with thought provoking new single ‘Lies’, a feminine anthem exploring the idea of weaponised incompetence and acting as a rallying cry for women everywhere to express their anger at the patriarchy! It’s a myriad of mindboggling time …

Sheffield’s post-black metal quintet Ba’al is ready to release their best music yet… Three years on from their brilliant debut album “Ellipsism” Ba’al deliver to us, three new tracks in the form of the “Soft Eyes” EP. Building upon the post-black metal of the debut, “Soft Eyes” shows a more …

It’s barely a matter of weeks since The Milk Men released ‘One Man Band’, a single taken from forthcoming studio album “Holy Cow”on Friday, May 3rd but now release from it ‘Hungover’, proving that Ernie didn’t have the fastest milk cart in the West! It’s a guitar picking, finger clicking …

Welcome to Maziac from Planetmosh, a new band to me who have won me over immediately with their single ‘Stoic’, taken from a forthcoming studio album Test Of Time, due for release in the summer. The self titled “Eclectic London based alt/prog metal 3-piece” kick out the jams full throttle, …

Michael Angel breaks the chains from his other band Fugitive to come up with a much heavier animal titled Treeman, and releasing a four track firey EP Omnia, following on from first single ‘Society’, which also kicks off the EP with futuristic samples that vie for attention with guitar tones …

As Ted Nugent once said, “You can’t keep a good dog off your leg”, point proven by those crazy Canadians, Anvil as they return to give 2024 a boost with brand new single ‘Feed Your Fantasy’, taken from a forthcoming, twentieth studio album titled One And Only via AFM Records …

A big welcome back to Merseyside based metallers Ashen Reach, unleashing a very impressive five track EP titled The Fear. Opening track ‘Ghosts’ is also the first single taken from it, built around all consuming doom laden riffing, this captivating number swoops and soars from a clean, glass shattering vocal, …

A huge welcome back to Glasgow based metallers Tantrum, returning with ‘The Darkest Of Times’, a brand new single. Formed in 2014, released their Rough Cuts EP in 2016, debut album Melt It Down in 2018 and second album Another Life on July 28th 2023. ‘The Darkest Of Times’ is …

Taken from their self titled debut album, Scarborough, North Yorkshire band This House We Built release ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’, a harsh reminder how easy it is for addictions to take over our lives, told here with no punches pulled by lead vocalist Scott Wardell, as his lyrics portray his struggle …

NWOBHM flag flyers Praying Mantis, tease us for a second time, releasing ‘Standing Tall’, following ‘Defiance’, taken from a forthcoming album of the same name, released by Frontiers Music on April 19th 2024. Formed in London 1973 by the Troy brothers Tino and Chris (Tino wrote ‘Standing Tall’). That line …

‘Invisible’ is the final Bernie Marsden single released from his final studio album Working Man, released on December 8th, 2023, via Conquest Music written before he sadly passed away on August 24th, 2023. ‘Invisible’ is accompanied by a video that also features Jamie Kyle, the only track on the album …

Orange County, California born band Robert Jon & The Wreck return with all guns blazing, as they release ‘Dragging Me Down’, the second single taken from forthcoming studio album Red Moon Rising, released by Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records on June 28th 2024. To my ears it romps and stomps seismically …

The Outlaw Orchestra steal their way into 2024 with ‘Born To Be A Thief’, third single taken from a mid 2024 studio album release, ‘La Familia’. Describing themselves as “A band from the Deep South UK”, but to be more precise, Southampton! Lead singer/guitarist David Roux proclaims, “We wanted to …

It’s been a few years since I’ve seen The Milk Men, a gig at The Nantwich Jazz Festival I think, so it’s a very nice surprise to hear their new single ‘One Man Band’, taken from Holy Cow!, a brand new studio album, their fifth, released on May 3rd, 2024. …

It’s only just over two weeks since my hearing has recovered from Troy Redfern shaking the foundations of the Civic Hall in Nantwich, for his first sold out headline gig there, so it’s time to strap on my headphones to review his latest single ‘The Calling’, the fourth one taken …

At the end of the day, rock and roll should not really be rocket science, just plug in and blast it out, point proven by Nantwich, Cheshire based rockers ‘Twitch’s Rats’, who have just released a brand new single ‘Shot Down’, available on all major streaming platforms. I recently saw …

Welcome back once more to Gypsy’s Kiss, formed in the East End of London in early 1974 by Iron Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris and vocalist David Smith, but unfortunately disbanded in late 1975 for Steve to form Iron Maiden. Thankfully, Gypsy’s Kiss reformed in March 2018 to play …

Birmingham based noisemongers Vanitas smash into 2024 with brand new single ‘Grey Morality’, keeping the ball rolling since forming in 2022, hitting the ground for a hectic 2023. Their technical riffing and huge orchestral soundscapes morphed into what they call ‘cinematic djent’ genre and judging by its results, they’re already …