Website [Release date 25.05.26] I’ve been following Rocking Americana artist Jamie Williams for some 20 years now, and watched his songwriting develop and mature through the years, and it’s always a pleasure when he/they (The Roots Collective) release a new album. This one being no exception. Rather than stay on the same … Continue reading
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Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez
1994. The world of metal and alternative music was sure different then. With the likes of Suffocation, Internal Bleeding and Immolation carving the way for brutal slamming death metal in New York, whilst At The Gates, Dark Tranquility et al forging their way with a more fast paced aggressive yet melodic death metal sound born in Gothenburg. Though Seattle, Washington was the breeding ground for grunge, a style fusion punk and metal into a brash, raw and aggressive style with the likes of Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, and Pearl Jam bringing this to the mainstream attention. The foundations they laid influenced countless musicians. Including British post-metal act Final Coil. Having ventured into mainland Europe on headline tours as well as major festival appearances in the UK, the band have achieved quite a lot! Their latest release explores the sounds of the year 1994 including the aforementioned Seattle grunge scene. So, this should give us a good idea of what “1994” will sound like. Let’s get into it…
No doubt the band have captured that early 90s grunge sound! That much is immediately apparent. Crunching distorted guitars lay down nice healthy grooves on a consistent basis, whilst the bass lines are consistently prominent and refusing to stick to the typical root note purgatory some bassists are thrust into. No, the basslines are hypnotic and pack a punch, which surely test the PA speakers of almost any venue they play. There’s subtle experimentation of psychedelic soundscapes too, providing an eerier and dissonant backdrop, especially during opening track ‘Instant Fix’, paying homage to Soundgarden. Vocally, again the spirit of the early 1990s is captured here. Whether it’s the gang style vocals with multiple voices, or the raspy voice of Phil Stiles, ‘Playing Games’ is perhaps the one where the voice of Final Coil gets to shine brightest. Perhaps sit a little too high in the mix on occasion, especially during ‘Woke’, though an easy fix for future releases. The band constantly shift dynamics and speed to keep you guessing and creating an unpredictable energy to the EP.
Whilst this is a throwback to the 90s, it feels like the production is stuck in the 90s too at times. It’s hard to tell whether it’s deliberately retrograde or just a bit rushed, but there’s a lack of depth in the overall sound, and a little bit of studio polish wouldn’t hurt. Again, maybe this was a deliberately ploy to capture that 1994 era sound as some other releases have been produced to a much better standard. Especially on older songs that incorporate electronic elements, whilst they have understandably disappeared here just illustrates that the band have better skills and resources at their disposal.
Overall, a brave and respectable effort that acts a fitting homage to one of alternative music’s most important movements.
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Tonight Alive have announced details of a long-awaited London reunion gig.
The returning Aussie pop-punks will hit HERE at Outernet with Greywind on May 25, right after they’ve played Slam Dunk South (May 23) and Slam Dunk North (May 24).
Before all that the two bands will head to Dublin’s Button Factory, and then once they’ve finished up on UK and Irish soil, they’ll play Patronaat in Haarlem, the Netherlands at the end of the month.
Headline tickets go on general sale this Friday, March 27 from 10am, while you can get Slam Dunk tickets right here.
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Posted on March 23rd 2026, 11:06a.m.
Sometimes a record practically introduces itself with a shrug. Take Via Doloris and their debut Guerre et Paix. The band name? A shortened nod to the Via Dolorosa. The death of Jesus and some “suffering-as-identity” vibes that we’ve seen a thousand times in black metal. The album title? Literally War and Peace in French. The cover art? You’ve seen it. You have seen it—some grayscale, vaguely haunted expanse that could just as easily front a dozen other releases clogging up the “give in to your anger” section. None of this is a crime on its own, but stack all these choices together, and they start pinging that lizard-brain reviewer alarm: this looks like a mid-tier black metal album before a single note even plays. Then there’s the promo copy, dutifully promising “a passage through pain in search of meaning, and the distant, flickering promise of rebirth.” Is this thing good, or is it just another entry in the ever-expanding catalog of metal-by-numbers?
Via Doloris is the solo project of guitarist Gildas le Pape, who spent several years performing live with Satyricon, and Guerre et Paix marks his debut under the moniker. The sound is a comfortable middle ground between more straightforward, blast-driven, 2nd-wave riffing and more expansive, atmospheric impulses, with le Pape’s melody-forward riffs driving the compositions. His guitar work never veers too far off the blackened path, but he imbues each riff with a sneaky melodicity and deploys a fair amount of variety in his 6-stringed attack. There are notes of Havukruunu-esque pagan black melodies (“Communion”), swirling Blut Aus Nord icy arpeggios (“Omniprésents”), and searing, Anaal Nathkrakh-flavored bouts of black metal destruction (“For The Glory”). Throughout it all, le Pape’s knack for catchy, multi-faceted blackened riff-craft shines through. The parts are at once hypnotic and aggressive, and often deepened through intricate guitar layers, allowing songs to flow seamlessly between movements. I’ve found the entrancing outro to “Ultime Tourment” or the Fluisteraars-like motif of “Visdommens Vei 1” stuck in my head for weeks during the review, a testament to the strength of the guitar parts on display and to their immersive effect.
The songs on Guerre et Paix largely sit in the 6–7 minute range, and while Via Doloris doesn’t always wring every possible peak out of that runtime, le Pape makes it feel purposeful more often than not. A track like “Un Franc Soleil” is built around an engaging central riff that subtly evolves as the song progresses, even if it stops just shy of a full-blown crescendo. This approach carries across the record: rather than leaning on dramatic shifts, le Pape favors gradual layering and textural changes, letting songs breathe and unfold at their own pace. The songwriting tends to stick to a core tempo and feel, with variation coming from added guitar layers, drum patterns, or ambient elements rather than structural overhauls. While this can create a meditative consistency that makes certain parts and songs blend together, it ultimately works in the album’s favor, giving Guerre et Paix a cohesive, immersive flow that reinforces the strength of its ideas over the course of a full listen.
This is all buoyed by a seriously sharp production job. Guerre et Paix sounds immaculate. Produced by le Pape and mixed with Nicolai Codling, it opts for clarity over the genre’s usual haze with crystalline guitars front and center, cutting cleanly through even the densest passages. They’re icy but precise, with every layered phrase coming through intact instead of dissolving into mush. Frost (Satyricon, 1349) turns in a characteristically stellar session performance, and the mix gives him room to flex. The drums have a warm, natural quality to them that showcases a varied performance. It allows the more subdued sections to breathe while still filling the mix during more intense, blast-heavy moments. It all comes together to elevate the album’s most dynamic touches, letting details like the choral swell in “Omniprésents” or the melancholic closing progression of “Communion” land exactly as they should.
As it turns out, Guerre et Paix lands comfortably above the genre’s overcrowded middle tier. Via Doloris has delivered an immersive and nuanced atmospheric black metal record, carried by memorable, melodic guitar work that unfolds beautifully over contemplative songs. It sounds amazing and marks le Pape as a promising voice within the space. This is way better than the somewhat generic packaging would suggest.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: viadoloris.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/via.doloris
Releases Worldwide: March 20th, 2026
The post Via Doloris – Guerre et Paix Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
Website [Release date 27.03.26] Session musicians – a necessary cog in the wheels of the music industry, particularly for solo singers. Sometimes the session musician wants to break out of his backing role and be seen. Take Jimmy Page and … Continue reading
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Today Legendary singer, songwriter Taj Mahal announced the release of his new album ‘Time‘ on May 1st via Resonatin’ Records/Thirty Tigers — a masterclass in soul, roots, folk, reggae and blues from one of the cornerstone architects of American music. Pre-order – here A deeply soulful and expansive collection, ‘Time‘ the album’s title track is […]
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n0trixx, the one‑woman producer, songwriter, and storyteller, is reshaping Alternative Metal through radical neurodivergent honesty. There are artists who follow the rules of heavy music, and then there is n0trixx, a fiercely independent Trap‑Metal artist who builds her universe from the ground up.
She writes every lyric, produces every beat, designs every visual, and shapes every story herself. No label machinery. No co‑writers. No producers smoothing the edges. Just a neurodivergent woman with a singular vision and the discipline to execute it alone.
In a genre dominated by noise, distortion, and bravado, she stands out not because she is loud, but because she is true. Her work is a collision of Metal, electronic chaos, and emotional clarity, a sound born from lived experience and relentless self‑creation.
Behind the mask, worn not for theatrics but for protection, lives a system of two identities sharing one body. One creates music. One wants nothing to do with the spotlight. “I’m the one who was there before the trauma,” she says. “I’m Zero.”
Her independence is not a gimmick. It is autonomy. It is survival. It is the only way she can make art that feels real.
Her journey into music began at one of the lowest points of her life. When her father died, she found herself clinging to a single Linkin Park track, looping it endlessly because it was the only thing that made the world feel survivable.
That moment became her mission. If a stranger’s voice could pull her out of the dark, maybe her voice could do the same for someone else.
“If I were to pick a mission in my life,” n0trixx says, “it would be helping people survive their hardships with my music.”
That mission is the backbone of everything she creates, a through‑line that connects her Metal aggression, her electronic experimentation, and her raw emotional storytelling.
Where many artists hide their struggles, n0trixx builds her art from them. She speaks openly about dissociative identity disorder, ADHD, trauma, and the complexities of navigating the world as a neurodivergent woman in heavy music.
She does not soften it. She does not romanticise it. She simply tells the truth, and people flock to that honesty.
Her community is full of neurodivergent listeners who see themselves reflected in her openness. They’re kind to each other, protective of each other, and fiercely loyal to her. “Sometimes it makes me want to cry,” she says. “I think my community is the best.”
n0trixx is not just an artist. She is an advocate, not by design, but by necessity. Her life cannot be explained without explaining her neurodivergence, so she refuses to hide it. That transparency has become a lifeline for others navigating their own mental‑health journeys.
Her new album became a manifesto for mental health. A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholia was not intended to be a concept record, but it evolved into one. Track by track, she realised she was writing about mental health, not in metaphors, but in vivid emotional detail.
Suicidality (hysteria [БЕГN]). Schizophrenia (Catalepsia). Dementia (Revenge Of God). Psychosis (Living Nightmares). DID (Hé Toi).
Each song became a portrait of a mind under pressure. One track (Spectrum) stands out. This is her piece representing autism. It was the only song she approached with intention from the start. n0trixx interviewed autistic friends, gathered their stories, and built an instrumental track designed to honour their voices without speaking over them.
It is also the song she performs from behind her Launchpad, a moment that asserts her identity as a producer as much as a performer.
Her process is instinctive. Lyrics come first, like journaling. Then she builds the instrumentals to mirror the feeling. ADHD becomes a frantic genre‑hopping whirlwind. Narcissistic abuse becomes a track built on glitched, broken strings that never let the listener settle.
She does not just write about mental health. She translates it into sound.
n0trixx is doing it all, because no one else can do it like her. Being independent is not a romantic ideal. It is a necessity.
Labels can burn her. Middlemen will take advantage. Scammers lurk everywhere. And as a neurodivergent artist, she knows she is more vulnerable to misplaced trust.
So she does everything herself.
Production.
Songwriting.
Visuals.
Merch.
Promotion.
Tour planning.
Social media.
Storytelling.
It is exhausting. It is overwhelming. But it is also empowering. “Twenty years ago, you couldn’t make it without someone being involved,” she says. “Now you can be entirely on your own.”
Her independence is her armour. Her control is her safety. Her self‑sufficiency is her rebellion.
Metal is more welcoming than it used to be, but challenges remain. She is aware that being a woman makes her stand out sometimes in good ways, sometimes in complicated ones. She does not shy away from the label female‑fronted Metal. She embraces it. “It’s all made by a woman,” she says. “I’m happy to show that off.”
But she is also aware of the boundaries she has to navigate. Misjudged advances. People underestimating her. Industry figures who do not understand the depth of what she does until they see it up close.
Still, she sees progress. More women in heavy music. More neurodivergent artists being open. More understanding. More space.
And she is determined to push that progress further.
Her story spans Russia, Turkey, and now the UK. She never planned any of it. Turkey accepted her when she had nowhere else to go. The UK gave her safety, community, and a future.
n0trixx speaks warmly about the North of England, about the kindness she has found there, about the way British people instinctively check on strangers. “For an outsider, it’s beautiful,” she says.
Her life has been chaotic, painful, unpredictable, but she has turned every chapter into fuel.
The future will be filled with touring, singles, and a story still being written. Her year is already mapped out: festivals, support slots, brisk touring, and a steady stream of singles. She thrives on the road. She loves discovering new bands, supporting the openers, and soaking in the energy of the scene.
And somewhere in the distance, she sees a book. Not yet, not until she feels she’s earned it, but one day. “My story shows that with effort, belief, and being kind to people, you can get wherever you want,” she says. “I don’t believe in talent. I believe in work.”
She talks about the years when she woke up every day convinced she had no future. About the trauma, the isolation, the sense of being trapped. And then she talks about where she is now, building a career, creating music that saves people the way music once saved her.
“If I’m proof of anything,” n0trixx says, “it’s that you shouldn’t give up. Keep going. One day at a time.”
n0trixx is currently on a UK Tour, including dates at MetalTalk Venues Bannerman and The Green Rooms. For full schedule and tickets, visit n0trixx.com/#live. A Catalogue Of Madness And Melancholi was released earlier this month. For more details, visit linktr.ee/n0trixx.
n0trixx permanently resides in Britain on the Global Talent Visa program for her music after fleeing Russia following her arrest for protesting the war in Ukraine. Living with Dissociative Identity Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder, she reflects her life’s battle with darkness and suffering throughout all of her art.
Slam Dunk have revealed a whole host of special side shows taking place around the weekend of this year’s festival.
On 22 May, Driveways will be playing at Manchester’s Rebellion, whilst in London, Set Your Goals will be at The Underworld with Youth Fountain, and Motion City Soundtrack will be at Islington Academy with Cartel and Beauty School.
Fast-forward to 25 May and London will be hosting Hawthorne Heights with Madina Lake and Guillotine at The Dome, Tonight Alive with Greywind at Here @ Outernet and The Suicide Machines with Faintest Idea and Ancient Lights at the New Cross Inn.
Additionally, Broadside will be making their trip over into a little tour, with them playing Manchester’s Rebellion on May 26, Birmingham’s Asylum on May 27 and London’s The Underworld on May 28.
Basically, an extra opportunity to see your faves in very intimate surroundings.
Tickets for all shows will be on sale from March 27 from slamdunkmusic.com
Of course, May 24 and 25 will be all about the main event, with Slam Dunk taking over Leeds’ Temple Newsam Park and Hatfield’s Hatfield Park.
Good Charlotte, Knocked Loose, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, PRESIDENT, State Champs, Deaf Havana, Malevolence, Sublime and so many more will be doing their thing, and it’s going to be amazing as it always is.
Tickets for both days are also available at slamdunkmusic.com
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Review: Elles Bailey – ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ Tour Islington Assembly Hall, March 19th, 2026 Reviewer / photographer – Paul Dubbelman Elles Bailey kicked off her ‘Can’t Take My Story Away‘ Tour with a stupendous show at the Islington Assembly Hall, London. Riding the crest of a wave, with the chart success of her […]
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