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What more can be said about Graham Parker? Apparently, plenty as Jay Nachman lets us know in his book Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind. A fan of Parker’s since his freshman year of college in 1977, Nachman presents a book here filled to the brim with everything that matters about the unique UK singer and songwriter.

From the juicy intro Nachman gives us about his love for the music of his late teens and early 20s (late 70s stuff especially) to the fantastically rich bio info (lots coming from Parker himself) to a break down of many a song’s lyrics and where they may have come, to Parker’s journeyman muso travels and, of course, the formation of The Rumor we get a great glimpse of the times Parker made his moves in.

The best music biographies for me are not merely a fan genuflecting over his or her heroes; God knows we have all seen too much of these books! Or a tome filled to the brim with facts and figures across an album-by-album analysis.

What books like Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind give us is true insight into the uniqueness of an artist, while grounding them in the here and now by relating their everyday moves and seeming amount of real-life struggles. And Graham Parker is nothing else if not unique. Without knowing much more about the man and any of the ‘rumors’ surrounding him, this is still an excellent read. I can only thank Jay Nachman, and, of course, Graham Parker and The Rumour for the insights this chunky little book gave me.

~ Ralph Greco, Jr.

Purchase
Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind

When I think about Miami, the first things that come to mind are excellent empanadas, terrible traffic, and Cynic. What doesn’t come to mind is thrash, although I’ve learned that the Magic City has some history in this regard (Solstice). Thrash quintet Acidosis currently resides in Los Angeles, but their own history dates back to a Miami high school in the mid-to-late 2000s, where frontperson Ben Katzman and guitarist Diego Edsel first formed the band. Arrival, Acidosis’s long-gestating debut album, re-records and reimagines songs Katzman, Edsel, and crew first concocted when they were teenagers. Acidosis may lie their heads in La La Land, but the flamingo-pink background and seafoam-green eyelid tentacles adorning that cover clearly aim to put Miami on the thrash map.¹

Arrival is a survivor story, in more ways than one. After dissolving Acidosis, Katzman served stints in several other acts and even competed in season 46 of Survivor.² In reforming the band, Katzman and Edsel enlist the talents of Harry Schwarz (drums), Jonathan Rusten (rhythm guitars), and Deo Budnevich (lead guitars) to create Arrival, a 9-song, 26-minute thrash incursion.³ Acidosis channels Municipal Waste in wasting no time with long songs, favoring crossovery bangers filled with riffs more rambunctious than a pitbull. “Arrival” opens things up with a sly devil, “They Live!” keeps the party going with punk energy, and “Hostile Negotiations” caps nifty pull-offs and speedy power chords with a delicious tag. Later on, Acidosis conjure the classics, with riffing reminiscent of the chromaticism of Megadeth (“Mankind”) and the stomp-age of Anthrax (“Deadly Fits”). I have no idea how much/little these songs have changed since Katzman and crew were in high school, but Arrival’s riffs have survived the test of time.

Ben Katzman ultimately supplies the fuel that powers this Miami Thrash Machine. As a vocalist, he sounds like a less shouty, more tuneful Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste). Katzman knows how to implant a titular line in the listener’s head (“Hostile Negotiations,” “Mankind”) and when to throw some anthemic ‘whoas’ into the mix (“They Live!”). As a bassist, he is equally integral to imbuing Acidosis with its unique charm. Whether (re)charing songs with a bass break (“They Live!,” “Where I Stand”) or shredding a low-end solo (“Hostile Negotiations”), Katzman kills it on the four strings, with a tone that is just the right amount of distorted and clangy. Arrival is clearly Katzman’s passion project, and his passion shines throughout.

Alas, no album with roots in Vice City was going to pass without sin. While I appreciate the spirit of succinct songwriting here, some tracks are definitely in need of more flesh. “Hostile Negotiations” is a banger that would benefit from bridge development, and album-closer “Where I Stand” opens with a country western lick that implies scope that isn’t realized. Switching from slothful songwriting to gluttonous album-craft: the interludes are completely unnecessary. Arrival isn’t even ten minutes old before “Interlude” breaks up the thrash action, and “Interlude 2” intervenes after only two more tracks that total less than nine minutes. These interludes, though short, disrupt the energetic pace, lengthening an album that’s chief virtue is its brevity. Arrival also suffers from inconsistent soloing. Edsel and Budnevich trade off on many of these tracks, revealing that one of these shredders is stronger than the other. Unfortunately, there are several moments where uncontrolled guitar wrath rears its ugly head, with solos sounding like they’re struggling (“Mankind,” “Deadly Fits”).

Having hypocritically cast my critical stones, I will say that none of these sins are deadly. The long-awaited Arrival of Acidosis is a fun time, certainly worth a 26-minute investment from thrashers and metalheads more broadly. Acidosis play a familiar style with no real innovation, but they stamp it with their own personality, much of which stems from Katzman’s presence as a frontman and essential bassist. Add Acidosis to the list of things I positively associate with Miami—I’ll scope out the line if and when they serve up their next platter of thrash turnovers.

Rating: 3.0/5.0⁴
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self-Released
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

The post Acidosis – Arrival Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

The majority of shows will take place in the UK however.

The post AFI Announce European/UK Tour For August appeared first on Theprp.com.

It’s the song “Lifeloose” by the band Lifeloose, from their album Lifeloose. Except no, that last part isn’t true. There is no album yet. I’m projecting. But the London electroclash duo Lifeloose, who have evidently played a whole lot of live shows around the UK in the past year, just released their debut single. By…

The post Lifeloose – “Lifeloose” appeared first on Stereogum.

In addition to headlining this year’s ‘Inkcarceration Festival’.

The post After Vowing To Take A Lengthy Break In 2026, Disturbed Announce Second July Show appeared first on Theprp.com.

Earache Records [Release date 27th March 2026] For anyone who has seen Massive Wagons live, you will know that the band onstage is an unstoppable juggernaut with enough energy to power a medium sized town for a week. So, it’s … Continue reading →

The post Album review: MASSIVE WAGONS – Live At The Great Hall appeared first on Get Ready to ROCK!.