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Category: news

  • Hillbilly Vegas Release New Album ‘A La Mode’

    Rockers Hillbilly Vegas have released their new album ‘A La Mode‘.  Known for their relatable lyrics and raucous live shows, this latest LP showcases a band firing on all cylinders as their career continues to grow.  The LP was self-produced at their home studio in Oklahoma and is available in digital, CD and Vinyl formats […]

    The post Hillbilly Vegas Release New Album ‘A La Mode’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

  • Turnover Announce New Album ‘Down On Earth’

    Turnover have revealed the details of their 6th full-length album, the follow-up to 2022’s ‘Myself In The Way’.

    Titled ‘Down On Earth’, it will be released on May 29 and will mark their first full-length as an independent band.

    To celebrate the record’s announcement and the start of a new chapter, the band have shared two new tracks from the album – ‘Nightjar’ and ‘I See You And Realize’.

    The artwork for ‘Down On Earth’ features a photo taken by photographer Nick Waplington.

    On the band’s decision to use the image, bassist Danny Dempsey has said:

    “I wanted to use a photo because photos stay with me in a more familiar way. I also buy a lot of photo books and love to see a well known photographer working with musicians. I’ve been a big fan of Nick’s stuff and something that felt out of reach turned out to be easy and fun… The photo feels like it could be any time in history to me. Today. Tomorrow. 50 years ago. 50 years into the future. And I’m not sure if I want to be there or not. It just pulls me in. It’s a weird one.”

    Check it out alongside the album’s full tracklisting below.

    “Wheelie For No One”
    “Nightjar”
    “I See You And Realize”
    “My Hand is a Curtain”
    “I’m Up, I’m Up”
    “Pieces”
    “Little Bees Don’t Bite”
    “Ultrasensitive”
    “Off Into the Lonesome Sky”
    “Spade Head”

    The post Turnover Announce New Album ‘Down On Earth’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

  • Reviews: Restless Spirit, Frozen Soul, Sace6, The Family Men (Rich Piva, Matt Bladen, Cherie Curtis, Joe Guatieri)

    Restless Spirit – Restless Spirit (Magnetic Eye Records) [Rich Piva]

    We are inundated with genres and sub genres and sub sub genres in the music we listen to. Especially in heavy underground rock. There is no debate where Long Island band Restless Spirit falls. Restless Spirit is Heavy Metal in every sense of the term. True Heavy Metal. Restless Spirit is also one of the best, if not the best, Heavy Metal band out there today. There is something to be said about self-titling your fifth album, eleven or so years into a career as a band. 

    On the surface, it could just be one of those decisions a band makes about a new record and moves on. In the case of the eight tracks on Restless Spirit, there is so much more. A return to form, a new beginning, their true sound found…it could be one or all of those things, but the songs on this record are the most personal, deep, and raw we have heard from the band, all while leveraging the musical influences they love and, as usual, ripping up the place.

    So why is this Restless Spirit record so special? Well first off, just to level set, all the stuff RS has released has been excellent. This record, however, focuses on shorter songs, leveraging the band’s sense of melody with their killer heaviness, in a more focused manner. One of the band’s secret weapons is how catchy-as-hell their songs are. The bridges and choruses stick with you more than ever on Restless Spirit. Of course, Paul Aloisio brings so many awesome riffs and solos, but the confidence in his singing voice has really grown as well.

     All of this is evident in the opening banger, The Burning Need. I love the layered vocals on this one. The recording of Restless Spirit captures the band in their rawest glory, with the drums of Jon Gusman sounding particularly awesome, showing why he is one of the best and most unique drummers in metal. The rawness comes across even stronger on Hallowed, and so does Gusman’s drumming, which is just next level. One of the charms of RS is that in 2026 they sound like a band I wound stay up until 2:45 AM to see on the third Hour Of Headbanger’s Ball. 

    The mid tempo Red In Tooth And Claw has a bit of a Mastodon feel to it, but with less studio magic. The rhythm section of Marc Morello and Gusman put in the work on this one, while Aloisio takes his vocals to another level. I mentioned hour three of Headbanger’s Ball earlier, but Desire Lines could have opened the show. The quieter opening, the loud transition, the chugging guitars, the catchy chorus. Killer, next level stuff. Keeping with the theme, remember how a video on The Ball would eventually find its way to, say, dial MTV? Desolations Wake is the Restless Spirit track that would break through. Three and a half minutes that rips it up and burrows an ear worm into your brain and soul.

    The acoustic interlude Embers leads to the one-two closing punch of Time And Distance and Phantom Pain. The former opens with a complex riff and brings all sorts of different progressions; this one is the most complex composition on the record while still managing to rip the place up while also get kind of doomy. The latter returns to some of their earlier work from a length standpoint, but takes all of it to the next level. Aloisio’s guitar work is so raw and real. The quiet parts are even more impactful because of the sound he gets from it. I love the almost haunting vocals on this one and the closing synths are such a perfect touch.

    The definition of Heavy Metal can be debated, but to me exhibit A is Restless Spirit, and their new, self-titled record is all I need as the evidence. Filled with raw riffs and rippers that are some of the most real songs you will hear all year and beyond, Restless Spirit have created something special with their new record that will make you bang your head and maybe even shed a tear at the same time, if you are paying attention. You really should, because this is true heavy metal, and some of the best of it that you will hear in the foreseeable future. 10/10

    Frozen Soul – No Place Of Warmth (Century Media Records) [Matt Bladen]

    Some bands transcend their genre, rapidly rising above it to become leaders of it, it’s usually because they draw just enough from the originators to win over the veteran crowd but also bring their own edge which wins them a whole set of new fans. 

    Frozen Soul are just this sort of band, bringing more Texas Death than Hangman Adam Page, they’ve been rapidly ascending through the death metal scene with their glacial take on death metal that takes from the US legends such as Obituary and Mortician as well as the UK bruisers like Bolt Thrower and Carcass. 

    They’re a band that have serious muscle in their music, driven by the full force battery of Matt Dennard’s non-stop blasts, this is death metal dynamism where the pacing is where the power lies. One minute there is blistering speed assault, the next a steamrolling chug, as Absolute Zero moves into Dreadnought that’s exactly what you get, guitarists Michael Munday and Chris Bonner bring riffs that are always distorted and syrupy, breaking into flash bang leads and solos that would make Jeff Hanneman excited. 

    Dragging these riffs down to the depths Samantha Mobley’s bass fuzzes with disgusting reverb, giving the bottom end punching grunt. Along with producer Josh Schroeder, they settled down to write the record from the bottom up, entering the sessions with basically nothing, No Place For Warmth sees Frozen Soul hitting the basement to just crank out cavernous death metal, attempting some thing they haven’t before but never overcomplicating what they do. It means that No Place For Warmth is a a record with a mechanised heaviness, the instrumental meat grinder crushing all as Chad Green’s hellish shouts create visions of hellscapes and blood soaked battlefields as he takes the role storyteller for these deranged tales of death metal. 

    Frozen Soul’s ascent can be measured by the guests they have on this record as Devin Swank from Sanguisugabogg jumps in for Dreadnought, Rob Flynn adds his shouts to Invoke War while Gerard Way shows off his chops on the title track. They’re a welcome addition but not needed though as Frozen Soul just do death metal right, and while it may be No Place For Warmth it’s definitely a place for fans of death metal. 9/10

    Sace6 – Brutalist (Sumerian Records) [Cherie Curtis]

    Brutalist is Sace6’s shiny new 11track album, and much like their visual style (see the music video for their track Covet) it’s heavy on the contrast and it’s captivating.

    Sace6 brings passionate, emotional vocals which draws you in then saturates it a landscape of ice-y metal instrumentals with prominent heavy drums and Trip-Hop / Pop fusion style backing tracks for an odd collision of energy and sophistication that creates a feeling of perpetual suspense. It is jarring but with clear intention of a confrontational overlap.

    Brutalist is a fine example of modern-day metal with a technologically driven and trendy mismatch of genres and vocal styles to satisfy the hungriest of crowds and it makes for a interesting way to expand your palate if you tend to stick to a rigid diet of whatever metal niche and predictable breakdowns you tend to gravitate towards and transcend into a more contemporary sound which evolves beyond the standard metal formula without losing intensity.

    The album as a whole, carries the devotion and high stakes desperation while avoiding the cliches of a traditional ballad or sing in the shower anthem. Instead, each track feels like a lament that’s anchored by an inventive and dynamic production that feels raw and grounded rather than performative.

    Overall, Brutalist is very well made. Sace6 has been around for a couple of years now and has managed to lock in a signature sound, the production is huge and the mixing is tight and professional even with the creative chaos this album feels clean and very precise. I admit that It took me a few listens to get Sace6 at first as i found the contrast and mix of genre and atmosphere distracting as I wasn’t sure what to expect but after giving this album the space it deserves it manged to wedge its way into my brain to stick with me and i can safely say that I really enjoyed listening to this one. 9/10.

    The Family Men – Co/de/termination (Welfare Sounds & Records) [Joe Guatieri]

    The Family Men are a four-piece Industrial band, hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden. Forming back in 2017, their debut No Sound Forever only came out a few years ago back in 2024 and since then they have gone from strength to strength, challenging both the listener and themselves in their wild experimentation. Now in 2026 they bring us their second full-length, Co/de/termination, how will this effort fair?

    The record opens with Calamity, a song that will turn you down and inside out and make all the blood from your body rush to your head. It’s aggressive, rapid and in your face with shouted vocals that remind me a lot of Henry Rollins.

    Calamity and most of the tracks going forwards combine both live drums and a drum machine, seeing both of these worlds colliding. Let me tell you, it’s a technique that I’ve seen far too many bands fail at as it’s such a pain to pull off. One element cancelling out another due to sheer volume is very commonplace but The Family Man has pulled off what I can only dream of as they not only make it work but kick my ass doing it. It’s an astonishing achievement which I loudly applaud, it brings such a big smile to my face!

    Moving through the album we have track three with Skull Theft. For me it’s like a deranged hellish take on Fire by Jimi Hendrix with its use of call and response within the instrumentation. It’s the most upbeat song on the album, a great one to bang your head wildly too and it has a few surprises up its sleeve. The squealing feedback used in the choruses are very irritated, coming off as stretching with all your might for something in your vision which is just out of reach.

    Skull Theft plays around with the genres that the band tackles, Jungle strikes out to me immediately with the booming drums in the verses, displaying both precision and power. As the song closes, anxious power chords make their presence known in their attack, it comes across to me as Nirvana worship and I’m always here for that.

    Next we go into track four with Solving The Light Issue. I want to dive into the pool that is this song, soaking up every last mineral of it. The layering shown is magical from heavenly synthesisers that rise and full in the background, to the wave of the out of control robotic guitars and even good old-fashioned beat boxing.

    Towards the end of the song you get these ear-piercing guitar bends which scream louder than the vocals, very Shellac. I can see Solving The Light Issue being played in a sweaty underground Industrial club which only 15 people know about. It’s no doubt my favourite song on the album!

    Crawling further into the tunnel that is Co/de/termination, we get track seven with Scanner. It stands in my head as the most unique song that this LP has to offer, from the get-go it has a damaged hum as if your desktop speakers have broken. This motif morphs into a glitched out beat from hell.

    To put the image in your head of what I envisioned upon hearing this, it’s as if you’re a bedroom DIY Industrial artist in the 2000s and you’re trying to sample The Prodigy in the most rudimentary and caveman way possible. You are at the stage of placing the speaker of your half-broken cassette player up to a tiny FM Radio and recording it on full blast getting a tinny effect as a result of dubbing it. Then removing that said tape that you just made and then driving over it with your Mum’s car, only to duplicate it again. What I mean by all of that is that I really enjoy how fucked up it sounds!

    Scanner has the best bass playing on the album, it’s so jarring as it rumbles, bouncing off of every surface. To my surprise there is even rapping on this track and it really fits the vibe of what the song is pertaining to. It makes me laugh as I thought to myself while listening to this, “This is like Limp Bizkit if they were good”!

    This record isn’t without its faults, songs like New Clear and Noumena have a few kinks in them where they don’t have the danger that the other songs possess. Instead they are going for a more atmospheric direction and unfortunately they lose their way with their sense of direction, more settled instead of trying to break through the glass ceiling of conventions.

    Saying that, the bright spots shine wholeheartedly for the world to see, displaying great versatility. It has so many different strings on its bow, taking influence from all sorts of different genres such as Noise Rock, Hip Hop, Industrial, Nu Metal, Grunge, Rave, Noise and even Electronic Body Music.

    Overall with Co/de/termination, The Family Men have made a fun, consistent and loud full-length that loses its mind in Y2K paranoia, it’s so internet in every sense of the word. I’m not forgetting this in a hurry, The Family Men have made a new fan out of me, this album is excellent! 8/10

  • 12 New Rock + Metal Tours Announced This Past Week

    AFI, Clutch, Sevendust with Theory of a Deadman and Underoath are among the big new tours announced this past week. Continue reading…

  • DEMO REVIEW: Gravetaker – Sheer Lunacy

    Last year Finnish death metal savages Gravetaker unleashed their debut demo. Seven years in the making, this is a truly wild recording that I had to retrospectively review as it has become a regular listening experience. Out on CD via Urealis-Tuotanto and LP via Iron Bonehead Productions.

    Sometimes you find a cut of metal that is so off-the-rails and wild it just rips its way into your life and doesn’t leave. That’s how I feel about “Sheer Lunacy”, the first demo by this Finnish duo of maniacs. Having picked up the LP after not being able to shake this haunting experience of total destruction; I figured I simply had to talk about it. This is a raw effort with maniacally rumbling bass and rusted barbwire guitars atop mountains of crashing drum perversity while the possessed vocals rabidly invoke evil with full force. There is a looseness to this recording that gives it that authentic archaic feeling while the music is wholly original and could be compared to the likes of Katharsis, Voivod, Necrovore, Sadistic Intent, Darkthrone, Repugnant or even some newer bands like Obliteration or Reversed. But these comparisons only make a small piece of the puzzle, the bulldozing belligerence of these Finns is like little else I have ever heard and its chokehold is one that is not going to relent. The suffocating atmosphere of sepulchral fury is inescapable while the ravenous storms of aggression are balanced with these cemetery-lurking passages more akin to the likes of Mortuary Drape; especially in the bass department. For a first demo it baffles me how many of my favourite elements they have managed to harness in such a striking and refreshed manner.

    There are moments of respite, where these tranquil passages give a breather to really allow tension to rebuild before the demented extremity continues. Right ’til the end this is a violating listen that hammer itself into your bones with no remorse. Managing to feel ancient and yet like nothing previously heard; the duo uphold the quality of their insanity for every second of the record which will ensure you keep playing it over and over until your ears bleed and bones dissolve. When a death, black or whatever other kind of extreme metal record remembers what came first (heavy, speed, thrash) it is always a far superior experience and that is never more true than with Gravetaker’s adrenaline-pumping outbreak of evil. Putting both the death and metal into death metal; this thing is lethal and hard to the bone. Such a punishingly intense listen that will not be shaken, “Sheer Lunacy” will possess you with its timeless savagery. Like being injected with molten rust; Gravetaker will leave you bleeding pure metal and show no mercy for the entire process.

    I cannot recommend “Sheer Lunacy” enough if you are a total maniac who misses death / black metal feeling truly wild, unruly, violent and chaotic. Like being struck in the face with a fist of granite; Gravetaker waste no time causing mayhem and bloodshed and despite taking a full seven years to complete one cannot deny how killer this thing is. Death steps over your threshold, let it in or fall to it…

    Rating: 9 out of 10.

  • Harrison Gordon Sign To Hopeless Records And Share Emotionally-Charged Single ‘Pretty’

    Harrison Gordon have signed to Hopeless Records and shared an urgent, emotionally-charged new single to celebrate.

    Titled ‘Pretty’, the Illinois-raised band’s latest single takes a sharp look at the world’s addiction to screens and our tendency to replace genuine human connection with algorithm-driven content.

    On the track, they’ve said:

    “‘Pretty’ is about how embarrassing it feels to engage with other humans in real life. I think a lot of us default back to retreating inside ourselves through the comfort of a screen because it feels so much safer than actually living your life. The last chorus of that track is about the terminal rot that ensues from this way of thinking.”

    Take a listen below.

    The band are currently on tour across the US with Arm’s Length, The Callous Daoboys and Super Sometimes.

    Catch them at the below dates.

    MAY

    8: PHOENIX, AZ Crescent Ballroom
    9: SAN DIEGO, CA House of Blues
    10: ANAHEIM, CA House of Blues
    11: SACRAMENTO, CA Ace of Spades
    13: SEATTLE, WA Neptune Theatre
    14: BOISE, ID The Shredder
    15: SALT LAKE CITY, UT The Depot
    17: DENVER, CO Summit Music Hall
    19: ST. LOUIS, MO Delmar Hall
    21: CHICAGO, IL House of Blues
    22: DETROIT, MI Saint Andrew’s Hall
    23: CLEVELAND, OH House of Blues
    24: TORONTO, ON Danforth Music Hall

    The post Harrison Gordon Sign To Hopeless Records And Share Emotionally-Charged Single ‘Pretty’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

  • Ingested – Denigration Review

    It is hard to believe that Ingested is hitting their eighth record. A band that managed to bring slam to the relative mainstream, combining the grotesque, guttural brutality of extreme music with more core-infused elements. Their previous record, The Tide of Death and Fractured Dreams, leaned a little too hard into these elements. Losing much of the slam and focusing on simplified song structures to its detriment. Their latest release, Denigration, marks the first without founding vocalist Jason Evans, someone who defined the sound of Ingested. Unfortunately for the band, the album is also marked by tumult. With the departure of Evans, his replacement was quickly outed over sexual assault allegations, and at the last minute, guitarists Sean Haynes and Andrew Virrueta took over. The album was re-tooled to replace the vocals (something I commend the band for wholeheartedly), but was something excised in the process, or is it a return to form for a band that had seemingly lost its extreme roots?

    I hate to break it to you, but Denigration is an album as messy as the story behind its creation. The album starts strongly, and unfortunately enough, with what is probably its best track. Half the band screams the opening line before the song drops into an absolute blast of destructive drumming. The track is simple but effective, and contains just enough variety and speed to keep things interesting. Haynes and Virrueta do an admirable job bringing heft and technical skill to each track, but they too often devolve into the same bouncing slam riffs to the point of bleeding together. Individual songs are hard to tell apart, and while founding drummer Lyn Jeffs has always been talented, the snare production basically kills his entire performance. This is nearly St. Anger levels of snare-tragedy, and the drums aren’t the only victim; production across the record is uniformly terrible.

    Denigration’s Achilles heel is its soundscape. While dynamic range isn’t necessarily a surefire sign of quality, this album has songs that go as low as a 2 on the scale. Tracks are a cacophony in the worst way; the snare is downright grating and overly loud, while the rest blends into a miasma of noise and chuggery. This is an album with so little range between individual tracks that it can feel like one long song, which is grueling for a slam record. Top this with the fact that the last-minute fill-in vocalists are clearly amateurs, especially compared to Evans, and you get an album that sounds like a debut by a young band making early mistakes. I have to imagine replacing the vocals at the last minute did serious damage to their original mix, but Ingested has a history of production issues on top of this. Combining these two has made for an album that can hurt to listen to at times.

    I don’t mean to disparage the band; in fact, this was a record I was genuinely hoping would be great. I have always had a soft spot for Ingested’s unique brand of slamcore. Evans vocals are top-tier, and they were always willing to take the genre to creative places. Julia Frau’s vocals on “Ashes Lie Still,” Kirk Windstein’s epic chorus on “Another Breath,” and Josh Middleton’s on “Expect to Fail” define the band’s willingness to explore their sound. On Denigration, the guests only work to divert from the monotony between tracks; even then, their addition feels perfunctory. This doesn’t feel like the band that wrote bangers like “Misery Leech,” “Skinned and Fucked,” or “The List.” At least they are trying to emulate their slam roots with a more streamlined sound built around the classic Chug & Guttural™ combo. There will be those who find this record more palatable than Ingested’s recent deathcore-adjacent trajectory, even if the production takes crushed and curb-stomps it.

    When I originally started spinning Denigration for review, numerous elements kept coming to my attention that now feel obvious, seeing how many things changed at the last minute. What should have been a creative refresh for a band that felt like it was relying a little too much on vocal talent has turned into the exact opposite. Denigration fails to bring the hooks, a key to any good slam record, while also being hamstrung by terrible production, middling vocals, and a lack of creativity. Hopefully, Ingested can come back stronger from all this and make the great album I know they are capable of, but all Denigration did was send me straight to the band’s better records.

    Rating: Bad
    DR: 3| Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
    Label: Metal Blade Records
    Websites: Bandcamp | Official Site
    Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026

    The post Ingested – Denigration Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

  • Beatles Solo Albums Ranked Worst to Best

    All four of their careers included a stirring comeback – or two. Continue reading…

  • LIVE: Creeper @ Islington Assembly Hall, London

    Islington Assembly Hall hasn’t been this packed since the last local elections, or perhaps a wedding between two people with very large families. It’s an odd choice of venue for modern vampires Creeper to finish the UK leg of their Sangui-Tour in support of their Lost Boys-esque duo of albums, but the primary school hall ambience has deterred none of Creeper’s faithful: it’s a sold out show and then some. If anything, the handicap of the venue makes Creeper’s ability to conjure an atmosphere using nothing but the power of fan faith and a bucketful of harmonies that much more impressive. 

    “Rock music is a horny vampire,” warns the voiceover before Creeper enter the stage, and yes, if you’re here for the “Horny Vampire Music”, as Creeper term their sound, then you’re bound to have a good time. However, with every statuesque pose from frontman Will Gould, revelations strike us. The ‘Sanguivore’ duet of albums were intended to fit together like gothic Jenga blocks, their separation only necessitated by time and recording limits. Live, the positioning of their tracks forms one hypnotic narrative of lurid gore and dark worship, and in the barely six months since ‘Sanguivore II’, they’ve already wormed their way into our bloodstream like a virus and taken root in our playlists. A flick of Gould’s wrist and we’re commanded into song for ‘Blood Magick (It’s A Ritual)’, the crisp darkness he evokes as he intones each chorus line intoxicating. Lovely post punk chimes illuminate a previously unheard growl on ‘Lovers Led Astray’ before the pounding, infernal vigour of ‘Headstones’ ignites a rabid circle pit – something this venue doesn’t see very often.

    The more we hear, the quicker we’re inducted into the sweeping vision that Creeper have been building all along. It’s a journey we never knew were on, powered by whatever crystal idol Davey Havok sold his soul to in the noughties, and now we’re fully invested. The waltzing melodrama of ‘The Ballad Of Spook and Mercy’ provides a murder ballad on the largest scale, and the meaning bluesy burlesque of ‘Razorwire’ offers a compelling interlude in our tale, power and blues through Hannah Greenwood’s vocal cabaret flirtation. The theatrics of ‘The Crimson Bride’ grab you by the shoulders and shake you into belting out the unifying choruses before each pale cherry blossom note of ‘Love and Pain’ drifts down from above, the eruption of longing sending a dormant mirrorball spinning into life.

    We love the drama and world-building, but we’re powered by the absolute shred Creeper can chuck out. Without the softening that studio production can offer, ‘Prey For The Night’ explodes with intense static and the play-within-a-play that is ‘Chapel Gates’ betrays a punk energy that reveals their rough grit away from the costumes and the polish that Creeper apply to their sound. ‘Parasite’ hits the metal motherlode that we were anticipating, a full anthem for the slamming crowd. Respite comes when they give us an intimate take on ‘More Than Death’, laden with wisdom and devotion from beyond the veil. It’s beautiful and wrenching in equal measure, a dramatic monologue from a rock opera waiting to be written. We take the verses and run with them, making each one our own.

    A cracked grin from Gould is our reward for giving our all on ‘Further Than Forever’, the soundtrack to a rock opera waiting to be written and the perfect final act for a band who walk the tightrope above musical theatre grandiosity with their sound. Even the intro is enough to see a surfer absolutely flung across the room, seemingly weightless. The climax in the form of ‘Cry To Heaven’ is the epic payoff we knew it would be: we might be flagging by the time it appears, but the soaring chorus is enough to reignite us for one last bounce. Their secrets revealed, we feel closer to Creeper than ever before, and for a dark, splendid hour-and-a-bit, nothing else matters except their the cinematic whirlpool of the Sangui-tour and the grip it has on us.

    KATE ALLVEY

  • Creeper, The Howling @ The Key Club, Leeds.