Posts
Band: Scowl
Album: Are We All Angels
Genre: Grunge / Hardcore Punk
Similar artists: Hole, L7, Turnstile
As I noted on a previous post where I mentioned Scowl, these guys deliver a potent mix of Grunge and Hardcore Punk with a pop streak a mile wide. At just 32 minutes in length, Are We All Angels (no question mark?) is chock full of absolute bangers, none of which pass the 3:30 mark. A top 10 album of 2025. No question.
Recommended tracks: Special, B.A.B.E., Not Hell, Fantasy
Band: Dark Chapel
Album: Spirit in the Glass
Genre: Grunge / Hard Rock
Similar artists: Alice in Chains, My Sister's Machine, Gruntruck
It might be 2025, but there's no getting away from it - Dark Chapel go all the way back to the early 90s for their inspiration. Bluesy, sludgy and dripping with Grungy darkness, Spirit in the Glass is highly recommended for those of a certain vintage. You know who you are.
Recommended tracks: Gravestoned Humanity, Hollow Smile, We Are Remade
Band: Alien Weaponry
Album: Te Rā
Genre: Groove Metal
Similar arists: Gojira, Killer Be Killed, Lamb of God, Sepultura
Formed in 2010, Auckland's Alien Weaponry exploded onto the international Metal scene in 2018 amid much fanfare with their debut album, Tū. Unfair and unfavourable comparisons to Brazlian legends, Sepultura due to their use of tribal instruments and rhythms, meant that they didn't make the mark they would have in a fair world. Fast forward to 2025 and album number three, Te Rā, and the difference is night and day (Arise and Chaos A.D.?). The riffs hit harder, the choruses are bigger and the grooves are, well, groovier.
Recommended tracks: 1000 Friends, Crown, Ponaturi
Band: Soul Demise
Album: Against the Abyss
Genre: Melodic Death Metal
Similiar artists: At The Gates, The Absence, Night in Gales
Soul Demise have been active as a recording band for 25 years now, but I wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard them. They play by-numbers old-school Melodic Death Metal. There's nothing here which elevates them above their peers, but I think they deserve a mention just for sticking to their guns and releasing seven passable to good albums in their career. Faint praise? Maybe, but fans of the genre should enjoy this album.
Recommended tracks: Uncharted, Scattered by the Storm
Band: Allegaeon
Album: The Ossuary Lens
Genre: Technical / Melodic Death Metal
Similar artists: Bloodshot Dawn, The Faceless, Obscura
Progressive, technical Death Metal mastery from the US. The first album to feature vocalist, Ezra Haynes since his departure from the band in 2015, The Ossuary Lens is yet another masterpiece from this most under-rated of Extreme Metal acts. There are few bands in any genre, as consistently good as Allegaeon, yet, despite endless critical acclaim the much deserved "commercial" breakthrough has so far eluded them.
Recommnended tracks: Dies Irae, The Swarm, Dark Matter Dynamics.
