Snailgun unleash nervous energy and razor-sharp tension on Midway II, a fierce post-punk eruption fueled by angular guitars, restless rhythms, and jagged melodic hooks. Drawing clear inspiration from the wiry intensity of Gang of Four while injecting a more modern melodic sensibility, the track balances chaotic urgency with calculated control. Clanging riffs collide with anxious vocal delivery and noise-rock abrasion, creating a sound that feels both confrontational and strangely infectious. Equal parts art-punk dissonance and contemporary underground grit, Midway II hits with the force of a band teetering gloriously on the edge of collapse.
Allen Dobb delivers timeless storytelling and heartfelt Americana warmth on Ballad of Willie Holmes, a haunting yet uplifting folk narrative rooted in memory, family, and lived experience. Built around rich acoustic instrumentation and unadorned emotional honesty, the track allows its vivid imagery and melodic craftsmanship to breathe naturally. Echoes of rural landscapes, late-night roads, and generational reflection flow through the song with cinematic intimacy, while the organic interplay of strings creates a beautifully immersive atmosphere. Thoughtful, deeply human, and emotionally resonant, Ballad of Willie Holmes captures the enduring power of stripped-back folk songwriting.
daresay arrive with emotional force on featherweight, a soaring indie-rock debut that transforms vulnerability and personal struggle into something deeply cathartic and uplifting. Driven by urgent guitars, dynamic rhythms, and passionately delivered vocals, the track captures the difficult process of rebuilding yourself after failure and choosing hope over surrender. Balancing introspective lyricism with explosive emotional release, featherweight channels the raw immediacy of modern UK indie rock while maintaining a heartfelt sincerity at its core. Powerful, cinematic, and emotionally resonant, daresay announce themselves with a debut that feels both intimate and anthemic.
Brick Wall Krew deliver raw underground heat on Journey Into Sound, blending razor-sharp lyricism with hard-hitting boom bap production and undeniable mid-90s spirit. Powerful rapping drives the track forward with relentless flow, confidence, and rhythmic precision, while gritty drums and soulful textures give the song a timeless hip-hop backbone. The subtle double-time switches inject extra momentum without sacrificing the smooth delivery, creating a track that feels both classic and fresh. Authentic, energetic, and instantly replayable, Journey Into Sound is built for true heads.
Ayreon is the musical brainchild of the legendary Dutch musician Arjen Lucassen, who founded the symphonic metal project in 1995 with the album “The Final Experiment”. This marked the beginning of an impressive journey through symphonic rock and metal, with albums such as “The Source”, which entered the Top 10 of the German charts and… Continue Reading →
May 18, 2026, Gothenburg, Sweden – Monolord shares a final preview of their forthcoming album Neverending (May 29, Relapse Records) with today’s release of “It’s Neverending,” featuring guest vocalist Jörgen Sandström of Grave, formerly of Entombed.
“I did the growling on the demo, but it took me forever to record,” vocalist/guitarist Thomas Jäger explains. “It was more like to illustrate the idea. But Jörgen’s voice is so powerful, and his performance on the song is really great.”
The finished track is a deathly-doom epic. “When we got the vocals finally in place, I remember I just burst into laughter,” bassist Mika Häkki adds. “That was just my sincere reaction to how happy that end result made me. Jörgen must have opened some new portal of some kind with those screams!”
To create Neverending, Monolord decamped to Ashland, Oregon to record with legendary producer/engineer Sylvia Massy (Tool, System of a Down, and Johnny Cash). The collaboration began when Massy asked vocalist/guitarist Thomas Jäger to send everything the band had ever written.
“She asked me to send her everything we had, not just songs written for the album, but every stray riff and idea,” he says. “I even sent her stuff I’d written ten years ago. She listened to all of it and sent us a list of what she wanted to work on.”
The band rehearsed 12 songs, recorded 11, and ultimately selected eight for Neverending. The result captures a focused but expansive version of Monolord’s sound.
The band announced the new album with a video for “You Bastard,” which captured moments from their studio sessions with Massy. Revolver said the four-plus minute track is “glorious” and Consequence, who named it their “heavy song of the week,” described it as “a hefty and quite melodic piece of doom metal,” while simultaneously declaring Monolord the “Swedish titans of doom.”
They offered a second preview with the recently released song “Oozing Wound,” which MetalSucks noted is “a major change for the band, as it’s the first time they’ve tuned wayyy down for maximum heavy.”
*features vocals by Jörgen Sandström (Grave, ex-Entombed)
The band’s U.S. tour begins on June 11. Mizmor opens the Western U.S. dates, Khemmis opens on all Eastern U.S. dates with the exception of the Muddy Roots Festival. Tickets for all dates are on-sale now via Monolord.com.
Monolord U.S. tour dates:
Mizmor opens on all Western U.S. dates:
June 11 San Diego, CA Casbah
June 12 Santa Cruz, CA The Catalyst
June 13 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
It’s the perfect time to release an album that invokes the happy, lazy days of summer. And Gypsy Blue Revue plans on doing just that on May 29.
JP Soars and the Red Hots is one of the tightest, most talented trios on the music scene today. As a follow-up to last year’s Brick By Brick, the group set their sights on a new project this spring.
Soars is a guitar virtuoso, excelling in a number of instruments. On this album he contributes electric guitars, Merlin Stick Dulcimer, two-string Cigar Box guitar, acoustic guitars, Cavaquinho, dobro, lap steel, slide guitar, cowbell, shekere, whistle and vocals. ‘Underrated’ is not descriptive enough of his seemingly unlimited artistry.
Drummer Chris Peet and bassist Cleveland Frederick both possess timing and talent that rival any rhythm section in the business today.
Although they have been teaming up in live performances for a number of years, this is their first recording with Anne Harris, an accomplished violin and mandolin player. All four are critically acclaimed for their ability to blend gypsy jazz, blues, and southern rock.
Harris is a much-in-demand performer who appears solo and with groups Cracker and Halo Rider. Harris also just finished a tour accompanying legends Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal (TajMo). A second tour has just been announced. She also spent some time touring with Otis Taylor, among others.
The collaboration, known as the Gypsy Blue Revue, creates a sizzling, jaw-dropping live show and this self-titled recording was inevitable.
The album, Gypsy Blue Revue, includes five exceptional instrumental pieces laying bare the raw talent of these five remarkable musicians. (Mixed and mastered by Jeremy Staska, he also contributes shakers and tambourine.) Seven of the pieces were written by Soars. For “Jessie Mae,” he provided music for lyrics by Rev. Billy C Wirtz.
Soars told Blues Rock Review (BRR), “We approached it (the album) exactly like a show. We wanted it to sound like we do live. We recorded all together in the same room with very minimal overdubs and no click track.”
Harris added, “We’re excited about this new album; to finally record together. JP is one of my favorite people on the planet and an amazing artist.”
The opener “Jessie Mae” is a swampy, southern example of Soars’s ability to combine storytelling with highlighted solos as his slide guitar yields to Harris’s fiddle, and back again. An accompanying release explains, “’Jessie Mae’ transforms a real-life encounter with Hill Country blues legend Jessie Mae Hemphill into a tale of strength, humor, and authenticity.” Soars added, “I was lucky enough to meet her, and this song is for her.”
“Go With The Flow,” the first instrumental, begins with the attention-getting, driving tom-toms of Peet. Soars delivers a clean virtuoso guitar passage before Harris seamlessly joins in on fiddle with a brief rendition of “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” deftly inserted. It is a brilliant and bright piece, aided considerably by Frederick’s solid bouncy rhythms driving it forward.
“Viper” is a live-show favorite that effectively conjures up the image of a couple engaged in a tango in a smoke-filled night club in some exotic land. It is filled with attitude and drama. The release notes offer; “Viper is a cautionary narrative inspired by a friend’s romantic misadventure, warning against getting involved with someone who’s nothing but trouble.”
“Paradise” is another instrumental showcase as Soars demonstrates his versatility with some sensational work on the Cavaquinho (a four-stringed Portuguese instrument) and, once again, Harris matches his contribution on fiddle in this Latin-influenced piece.
“Goin’ to South Carolina” is tinted with the hue of bluegrass and is a perfect lazy, summertime piece. With a nostalgic nod to Arkansas, where Soars grew up, it mentions apple pie, Saturday night dances and porch swings, conjuring the carefree image of man who knows what’s important.
Harris has a background in dance and during live performances it’s obvious her body is a conduit, transforming fluid cosmic energy into her distinctive music. Classically trained as a youngster, Harris told BRR, “I knew that wasn’t going to work because they wanted me to stand still and I just can’t do that.”
Her own composition “May Mountain,” offering a Celtic feel, is a beautiful, stunning piece of violin work, providing a transcendently uplifting showcase for Harris and she contributes with mandolin on this one as well.
“Old Silver Bridge” features Soars playing Merlin Stick Dulcimer, married perfectly to Harris’s sweet fiddle. This song shifts to autumn recollections. Soars, an avid fisherman, is able to impart to the listener — with remarkable acuity — the joy he experiences lazing by a tranquil river. During these unsettled times, the lyrics and music here impart warmth and hope. There’s a line that says, ‘Everything’s going to be just fine,’ and, at least for the 58-minute duration of the 9-track album, you believe they just might be.
“Minor Blues,” a Django Reinhardt original, best showcases Soars’s remarkable guitar abilities as he presents a bold and innovative arrangement. Starting with a sweet, slow duet between Soars and Harris, the piece shifts gears and launches into brilliant guitar and fiddle virtuosity. Frederick displays his mastery of jazz and he and Peet provide a sharp and memorable bridge to the final few bars.
“Cigar Box Jam” features an opening that builds suspense like a well-crafted movie. It is a rousing, high-energy instrumental that often closes their live performances. And, as in any live closer, it includes a featured section for each artist, including a superb performance from Peet.
Overall, this is a great recording, best served by a listener who provides a quiet respite to give it the attention it deserves and to welcome the restorative elements it returns.
The Review: 9/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Viper – Jessie Mae – Goin’ to South Carolina – May Mountain Waltz – Old Silver Bridge
