Category: news

EP Review: A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers – Towers of Silence

Reviewed by Matthew Williams

I think I’ve just found out why the phrase “utterly bonkers” was created, and as soon as you listen to the debut EP from A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers, you will fully understand why. I’ve played it several times now and each time my heads spins a little more trying to figure out not only what the hell is going on, but also, how have they done that?

The Dutch four piece come from diverse musical backgrounds, and they’ve taken this, put it into a melting pot, added an angry, anxious narrative and come up with three songs that will test anyone’s musical and political allegiances. With a name that references amongst other things, a Van der Graff Generator song and a Robert Eggers film, their sound is distinctive as it crosses over from metal to jazz, from sludge to spiritual enlightenment so there’s plenty to keep the listener interested.

It begins with four hits on the cymbal from drummer Derek Twiss as he opens “Massacre of Flour” and it’s a social comment about the ongoing genocide in Palestine. It’s a quite ferocious song, with many complex layers wrapped up in some tender moments, with powerful vocals from Joost Verhagen. The bass from Sterre Marree illuminates the composition before they go all spiritual with the use of a shruti and tanpura. And this is where they keep you thinking, what happens next, where does it lead? The answer, another two minutes of madness with screeching guitars and screaming vocals.

The wonderfully titled “I Fuck People” is next, which offers support for the marginalised queer communities, and it sounds like a maelstrom of avant garde jazz meets metal. It’s all over the shop and your head is being battered as Tristan “Lama Waaien” adds saxophone alongside playing guitar. The jazz infusion is fun and builds to a mighty crescendo before easing off slightly and then erupting over the phlegm inducing vocals.

The title track rounds off the EP, with “Towers of Silence” being the longest song at just over 9 minutes and you are immediately greeted with the sounds of a journey into a utopian spiritual world. It gives you food for thought, in this complex world we are currently part of, but the music is beautiful before the ethereal vocals invade your wandering mind. It’s a minimalist, stripped back approach, in stark contrast to the previous two songs, but most importantly, it gives us an insight into the minds of these four musicians.

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The post EP Review: A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers – Towers of Silence appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Provurb delivers a reflective and uplifting statement with Joy, a track that leans into conscious lyricism and warm, understated production. Centered around thoughtful wordplay and a steady flow, the song balances introspection with a sense of optimism, allowing its message to unfold naturally without forcing it. Provurb’s approach feels grounded and sincere, focusing on substance over excess while letting the emotion carry through each verse. Joy is less about surface level happiness and more about clarity and perspective, offering a calm, resonant listen that lingers beyond its runtime.

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Marek Zibrow explores the intersection of sound and system design with Traffic, a dark, slow-moving instrumental that blends ambient textures with cyberpunk aesthetics. Drawing from his dual background in music and IT, the Polish composer crafts a piece that feels both precise and deeply atmospheric, where subtle pulses and shadowy synth layers mirror the flow and friction of modern urban life. The track unfolds patiently, favoring mood over melody, creating a space that is immersive, slightly melancholic, and quietly hypnotic.

Traffic works best as a late-night companion, where stillness and motion coexist in perfect balance.

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EP Review: Gadget – Coerced

Reviewed by Dan Barnes

Swedish grind veterans, Gadget, return with a new look and their first collection of new material in a decade – notwithstanding the pandemic split with Retaliation, which found the band assisted by numerous friends. One of those pals was Radium Grrrls’ vocalist, Emilia Henriksson, who made her position as replacement for Emil England permanent in 2023.

That Coerced comes ten-years after The Grand Destroyer is not an unusual situation for Gadget who left a decade-long gap between that record and 2006’s The Funeral March; but these things take time and when you’ve a band of the quality of Gadget, then the wait is often worth it.

Also joining the core Gadget musicians of guitarist Rikard Olsson, bassist Fredrik Nygren and drummer William Blackmon is second guitarist and backing vocals courtesy of Livet Som Insats and Infanticide member Kristofer Jankarls, turning the band into a five-piece.

Coerced is the first time this iteration of Gadget has the chance to flex their musical muscles on record and hit hard and hit fast with eight new track that collectively come in short of fourteen-minutes. But you don’t look to Gadget for their progressive approach, you come to them for balls-out grind.

Opener Nonsense builds from a quiet place, like some monstrous creature awakening from a long slumber; feedback hits then: BOOM, the Gadget we know and love is back, with a frenzy of rampant, grinding guitars and blitzkrieg drumming, Emilia barking bile-soaked lyrics into the mic. No Sense of Self continues in the same vein, adding a few flourishes from the guitarists; What Doesn’t Serve You both gallops and grooves, Gnistan is an explosive twenty-some-odd-seconds. Four tracks and less than three-and-a-half minutes have passed.

Funerary Rites adds guest vocalist Johan Lundmark of Prescription Death and Infraction to the descending riffs and Flatline might open with a doomy vibe, but that quickly becomes savage, raw and dripping with disgust.

Closing tune, Violently Silent, is an epic by comparison, breaking the two-minute mark with vicious wave after wave of controlled musical aggression. It’s a big and accomplished piece constructed around sawing, driving guitars and relentless percussion.

Before Violently Silent, comes Coerced’s most unexpected moment: the lengthy, droning experimentalism of False Pulse; ominous and unsettling, with added harsh Noise elements, this is what madness must sound like.

Rikard and Kristofer torture sounds that should not be heard from their instruments, Fredrik and William play active co-conspirators, but it is Emila’s ungodly vocals that steal the show as she howls and screeches like a woman possessed.

I had a right-good time listening to Coerced but, if I’m being truly honest, I didn’t expect anything different from one of the genres best kept secrets.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post EP Review: Gadget – Coerced appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Aarktica craft a slow-burning, immersive experience with Laughing in the Rain, a track that drifts between ambient introspection and darkwave tension. Led by Jon DeRosa, whose project has evolved since the late 90s, Aarktica builds a layered sonic landscape where atmosphere takes precedence over immediacy. The song gradually unfolds, guiding the listener through shimmering textures and understated vocals before reaching a powerful late-stage crescendo.

There is a sense of quiet release embedded in its progression, making it less about instant impact and more about surrendering to the journe

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Def Nettle flip the script with The Party (Remix by GLOK), a rework that transforms their kinetic punk funk energy into something darker and more hypnotic. With Andy Bell at the controls, the track sheds its playful edge in favor of deep basslines, shadowy textures, and a slow burning groove rooted in darkwave aesthetics. The Dublin outfit’s sharp songwriting remains intact beneath the surface, but the mood shifts dramatically, turning irony into tension.

The result is a late night reimagining that feels immersive, seductive, and slightly unsettling in all the right ways.

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Tory Silver delivers a bittersweet contradiction with Your God, a track that wraps heavy emotional themes in deceptively light, carefree sonics. Produced by Jay Som, the song blends jangly garage rock textures with indie pop warmth, creating a bright surface that contrasts its core narrative. Rooted in a personal story of lost connection shaped by religion and identity, the track carries a quiet emotional weight without ever becoming heavy handed. Instead, it leans into melody and subtle tension, allowing vulnerability and resilience to coexist in a way that feels both disarming and deeply human.

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