Old school death metal formation Sycthe (ROM) is excited to announce the signing of a new deal with Awakening Records. Earlier this year, the four-piece put out debut full-length Boiled Alive (independently released in digital format). Now, the latter will get an official label release from Awakening Records. Read more…
This fan may have just been starting out in primary school when Suzi Quatro had her first UK number with ‘Can the Can’ in 1973, however, it was still a great moment to finally see her live on stage. Big … Continue reading →
Today is the official release day of Exorcizphobia‘s fifth studio album, Neurosis Unbound. Czech thrashers offer in listening the entire effort of 9 songs via Bandcamp widget below. Read more…
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Future Soul (Fantasy Records)
After their long awaited tribute concert to Leon Russell’s Mad Dogs And Englishmen, one of Americana’s foremost live acts Tedeschi Trucks Band return with their sixth studio album of original material, Future Soul.
The Grammy winning duo of Susan Tedeschi (vocals/guitar), her husband Derek Trucks (guitar) and their extensive band, have been releasing and performing music together as one entity since 2010, after being solo artists and band members before that, Derek in particular spent time in The Allman Brothers and lots of that collaborative Southern brilliance can be heard across every TTB album.
With Future Soul the eyes are fixed to the future but with one foot still in the melting pot of inspiration that is blues, soul, funk and the musical traditions of the USA, the writing team of Tedeschi, Trucks Mike Mattison (guitar/vocals), Gabe Dixon (keys/vocals), and Tyler Greenwell (drums/percussion) leading to the widest set of musical influences to date.
As they brush their canvas with punk rock, straight country and old school rock n roll, all delivered with Susan’s impressive and honest vocals. However these new sounds come on a more focussed affair after their more conceptual 2022 record, Future Soul is a bit more laser guided and direct, as they run through the this album in 42 minutes.
Produced with modern embellishments by producer Mike Elizondo as Trucks co-produces to keep the analogue feel, executing his trademark guitar skills with pure skill, while doing some things that you may not have heard. Future Soul is Tedeschi Trucks Band lurching into the future without forgetting the past. 8/10
Nervosa – Slave Machine (Napalm Records)
Extreme thrashers Nervosa seem to get nastier with every album. Each release moves them closer to the megastars of the genre, doing so in their own unflinching, uncompromising way.
With founding member Prika Amaral now established as the vocalist of the band, having taken the role on Jailbreak, with Slave Machine she broadens her vocal abilities on tracks such as 30 Seconds and Crawling For Your Pride, adding cleans to her snarling growls to heightened the melodic and atmospheric moments of this record.
Amaral is of course part of the guitar duo along with Helena Kotina, the duo creating these torrents of molten metal where modern battery is joined by old school technicality. Whether they bleed into one another or counterpoint each other, the riffs are sharp and explode from the first moments of Impending Doom until the closing Speak In Fire.
The rhythm section coming with renewed power as Michaela Naydenova returns to the drumstool for plenty of blasts and bludgeoning, driving the ferocity of the while the bass is now shared between Hel Pyre and Emmelie Herwegh both locking down the speed and groove of these 10 killer cuts.
Slave Machine is a record that exudes confidence, the Devin Townsend-like moments on the title track, the thrashing Hate, the explosive Beast Of Burden or the hanging grooves of You Are Not A Hero and prog from The New Empire, all are the songs of a band who have secured their place at thrash’s top table. 8/10
Void Of Light – Asymmetries (Ripcord Records)
For fans of: Cult of Luna, Isis, Neurosis, The Ocean etc etc. I think you can get a decent idea what Asymmetries the debut album from Glasgow six piece Void Of Light will sound like.
Although perhaps don’t get too complacent as the bands I’ve name here do have a habit of shaking up the sound they are ‘known for’ with all of the experimentation that comes from the post-metal soundsphere, something which Void Of Light do with Asymmetries, taking from the influences but working in their own sound too, such as the grooving bass driven beginnings of Still The Night Skies.
Having released two EP’s before this and honed their approach on stage (ArcTanGent is calling), they are a band who play with the dynamics the way all great post metal acts do. Delicate fragility of ambient structures swoop into massive cathartic, distorted heaviness, both sides unified by intensity but made different by volume.
Beginning with the immediacy of The Passing Hours, the album begins it’s look at perspective, reflection and internal conflict, a journey through past trauma and future acceptance, just the kind of esoteric, introspective themes you want from post metal band with those influences. It’s with this opening number, one of five, that Void Of Light’s trio of guitar players prove their worth as layers of leads and melodies are built towards the end of the track when as the blast beats increase the tempo to a breathless conclusion.
With Ends though they manage display the other side of their skill with discordant riffs and those pained screams, as the album closes with the glistening chug of Mirrorings, a cinematic climax to this impressive debut album from Void Of Light, where the clean vocals work brilliantly to really capture the emotional release of this final number. While it may only be five tracks long, Asymmetries is a debut album that collects a huge body of music together, from the trenches of post-metal, Void Of Light shine like a beacon through the massive body of acts labelled ‘ones to watch’ with an impressive album one. 8/10
Mallavora – What If Better Never Comes? (Church Road Records)
Mallavora are a band with a message, seen by many to be one of the most exciting new bands doing the rounds they also strike me as one of the most important too.
Vocalist Jessica Douek not only has a mesmerising vocal range that encompasses growls, shrieks, screams, wails and almost operatic delivery as well. She and guitarist Larry Sobieraj both use their music as a therapy to do deal with chronic illness/disability they both suffer with and in Jessica’s case vocally campaign about. They are a band with a moral fibre that’s hard to maintain in the music world, only playing venues that offer accessibility for them and their audience as they create spaces for anyone who resonates with the music, the ideology or anything else Mallavora stand for.
Since arriving on the scene in 2020 they have been resolute in their goals and have achieved big things, but with their debut What If Better Never Comes? they have produced their manifesto for change, or at least their excuse to rage. A ‘conceptual exploration of sickness – personal and societal’, there’s a a huge mass of emotions on this record, a catharsis for the band or anyone that identified with their struggles as they try to negotiate whether things do get better? Or will they be forever on the outside of what is considered “normality” (overrated in my opinion).
With Jessica’s incredible vocals and Larry’s incentive riffs, bassist Ellis James and drummer Sam Brownlow, round out this gritty alt rock quartet who play anthemic heavy music that includes R&B, soul and Jessica’s Jewish-Middle Eastern ancestry in the mixture of wonderful noises that come on What If Better Never Comes? Mallavora’s debut record is a very strong introduction for anyone who has not listened or seen them before. Genre spanning alt metal driven by frustration and the need for change. 8/10
Tedeschi Trucks Band – Future Soul (Fantasy Records)
After their long awaited tribute concert to Leon Russell’s Mad Dogs And Englishmen, one of Americana’s foremost live acts Tedeschi Trucks Band return with their sixth studio album of original material, Future Soul.
The Grammy winning duo of Susan Tedeschi (vocals/guitar), her husband Derek Trucks (guitar) and their extensive band, have been releasing and performing music together as one entity since 2010, after being solo artists and band members before that, Derek in particular spent time in The Allman Brothers and lots of that collaborative Southern brilliance can be heard across every TTB album.
With Future Soul the eyes are fixed to the future but with one foot still in the melting pot of inspiration that is blues, soul, funk and the musical traditions of the USA, the writing team of Tedeschi, Trucks Mike Mattison (guitar/vocals), Gabe Dixon (keys/vocals), and Tyler Greenwell (drums/percussion) leading to the widest set of musical influences to date.
As they brush their canvas with punk rock, straight country and old school rock n roll, all delivered with Susan’s impressive and honest vocals. However these new sounds come on a more focussed affair after their more conceptual 2022 record, Future Soul is a bit more laser guided and direct, as they run through the this album in 42 minutes.
Produced with modern embellishments by producer Mike Elizondo as Trucks co-produces to keep the analogue feel, executing his trademark guitar skills with pure skill, while doing some things that you may not have heard. Future Soul is Tedeschi Trucks Band lurching into the future without forgetting the past. 8/10
Nervosa – Slave Machine (Napalm Records)
Extreme thrashers Nervosa seem to get nastier with every album. Each release moves them closer to the megastars of the genre, doing so in their own unflinching, uncompromising way.
With founding member Prika Amaral now established as the vocalist of the band, having taken the role on Jailbreak, with Slave Machine she broadens her vocal abilities on tracks such as 30 Seconds and Crawling For Your Pride, adding cleans to her snarling growls to heightened the melodic and atmospheric moments of this record.
Amaral is of course part of the guitar duo along with Helena Kotina, the duo creating these torrents of molten metal where modern battery is joined by old school technicality. Whether they bleed into one another or counterpoint each other, the riffs are sharp and explode from the first moments of Impending Doom until the closing Speak In Fire.
The rhythm section coming with renewed power as Michaela Naydenova returns to the drumstool for plenty of blasts and bludgeoning, driving the ferocity of the while the bass is now shared between Hel Pyre and Emmelie Herwegh both locking down the speed and groove of these 10 killer cuts.
Slave Machine is a record that exudes confidence, the Devin Townsend-like moments on the title track, the thrashing Hate, the explosive Beast Of Burden or the hanging grooves of You Are Not A Hero and prog from The New Empire, all are the songs of a band who have secured their place at thrash’s top table. 8/10
Void Of Light – Asymmetries (Ripcord Records)
For fans of: Cult of Luna, Isis, Neurosis, The Ocean etc etc. I think you can get a decent idea what Asymmetries the debut album from Glasgow six piece Void Of Light will sound like.
Although perhaps don’t get too complacent as the bands I’ve name here do have a habit of shaking up the sound they are ‘known for’ with all of the experimentation that comes from the post-metal soundsphere, something which Void Of Light do with Asymmetries, taking from the influences but working in their own sound too, such as the grooving bass driven beginnings of Still The Night Skies.
Having released two EP’s before this and honed their approach on stage (ArcTanGent is calling), they are a band who play with the dynamics the way all great post metal acts do. Delicate fragility of ambient structures swoop into massive cathartic, distorted heaviness, both sides unified by intensity but made different by volume.
Beginning with the immediacy of The Passing Hours, the album begins it’s look at perspective, reflection and internal conflict, a journey through past trauma and future acceptance, just the kind of esoteric, introspective themes you want from post metal band with those influences. It’s with this opening number, one of five, that Void Of Light’s trio of guitar players prove their worth as layers of leads and melodies are built towards the end of the track when as the blast beats increase the tempo to a breathless conclusion.
With Ends though they manage display the other side of their skill with discordant riffs and those pained screams, as the album closes with the glistening chug of Mirrorings, a cinematic climax to this impressive debut album from Void Of Light, where the clean vocals work brilliantly to really capture the emotional release of this final number. While it may only be five tracks long, Asymmetries is a debut album that collects a huge body of music together, from the trenches of post-metal, Void Of Light shine like a beacon through the massive body of acts labelled ‘ones to watch’ with an impressive album one. 8/10
Mallavora – What If Better Never Comes? (Church Road Records)
Mallavora are a band with a message, seen by many to be one of the most exciting new bands doing the rounds they also strike me as one of the most important too.
Vocalist Jessica Douek not only has a mesmerising vocal range that encompasses growls, shrieks, screams, wails and almost operatic delivery as well. She and guitarist Larry Sobieraj both use their music as a therapy to do deal with chronic illness/disability they both suffer with and in Jessica’s case vocally campaign about. They are a band with a moral fibre that’s hard to maintain in the music world, only playing venues that offer accessibility for them and their audience as they create spaces for anyone who resonates with the music, the ideology or anything else Mallavora stand for.
Since arriving on the scene in 2020 they have been resolute in their goals and have achieved big things, but with their debut What If Better Never Comes? they have produced their manifesto for change, or at least their excuse to rage. A ‘conceptual exploration of sickness – personal and societal’, there’s a a huge mass of emotions on this record, a catharsis for the band or anyone that identified with their struggles as they try to negotiate whether things do get better? Or will they be forever on the outside of what is considered “normality” (overrated in my opinion).
With Jessica’s incredible vocals and Larry’s incentive riffs, bassist Ellis James and drummer Sam Brownlow, round out this gritty alt rock quartet who play anthemic heavy music that includes R&B, soul and Jessica’s Jewish-Middle Eastern ancestry in the mixture of wonderful noises that come on What If Better Never Comes? Mallavora’s debut record is a very strong introduction for anyone who has not listened or seen them before. Genre spanning alt metal driven by frustration and the need for change. 8/10
From the toilet gigs of South Wales to a sold-out show at OVO Arena Wembley in 2024, and special guests or headliners at every major Metal and rock festival, it has been a slow but ultimately incredible ascent to the top for Skindred.
For me, it has always been live where the band have hit hardest, and having seen them over 20 times since those early noughties shows, they have never failed to make me smile. I have not seen them since 2024’s headline set at Steelhouse Festival, but their constant work ethic is not lost on me.
I have mates who are following them around the UK on their forthcoming tour. And not for the first time. Such is the devotion that Skindred can attract.
Whilst Smile hit the heights of the UK charts, bringing them some mainstream success and exposure, it was, to me, like most of their albums, variable in quality. Gimme That Boom certainly was the album’s earworm, and there were other tracks, like the powerful opener Our Religion, that got under the skin.
Given the band’s wild fusion of styles, I do not find it surprising that I will not like every track the band makes. Some aspects of their style veer away from what I am used to. Others grab me by the throat.
Skindred – You Got This due April 17, 2026 via Earache Records.
You Got This is the band’s ninth album and sees them slimmed to a trio, long-serving bassist Dan Puglsey having departed in 2025. This leaves the infectious frontman Benji Webbe, guitarist Mikey Demus and drummer Arya Goggin shouldering the release, not that we should have any doubt that they have broad enough shoulders. These boys are hardened warriors.
It has everything you expect from Skindred. Demus is a riff monster, and he carves out hundreds across the 11 tracks on offer here.
Behind the vibrancy and good time party image of the band, there is also the sensitive and emotional themes which form the foundation of the album, and which form the foundation of the band’s songwriting. They are a serious outfit underneath the showmanship.
Take the title track. Not only is it an absolute monster opener, but it has its roots in an observation from one of Benji’s regular gym sessions, where he saw a man struggling to complete his exercises as he started his rehabilitation after a stroke.
The personal trainer told him, “You got this,” and the mood completely lifted. “I was watching from a distance, and I could see the struggle and the pain, but in that moment, I knew he had got this,” recalls Benji. “It’s such an empowering statement, and it applies to so many battles that everybody faces.
“It could be a recovery from a stroke, or it could be studying for your exams at school. For me, having songs that lift people who are going through tough times is the most important thing. I feel like that’s what I’m put on this planet to do.”
He is spot on, and You Got This really hits home. It is going to be a frantic set opener on the forthcoming tours, leaving no time to ease into things, an explosive piledriver that will set venues alive.
They may be able to crush with riffage, but they also are masters of the singalong, which they will do with ease on Can I Get A. I can see the hands raised high as Benji takes on the ringmaster role each night on tour.
It is a less intense track, much more balanced, but still holding the Skindred sound. But dig deeper, and it is as much a song of reflection as many of Skindred’s songs are. Can I Get A sees Benji looking back at his poverty ridden upbringing as an orphan with his older brother, merely a child himself, taking over responsibility.
“It’s me as a child seeing my friends with all these amazing things that people take for granted that I never had,” says Benji. “I was eleven years old and was worried what my life would become. A lot of kids where I lived got into trouble and ended up in prison. I was just gonna grab that microphone and see where it would take me.
“I want to empower people to know that you can be what you want to be. Don’t spend your life worrying about what you haven’t got. Live your life because now is the time.”
We are only at track two, and already there is more emotional investment than open house day at the dog’s home. How do we move forward? Well, Born For Dis is not going to calm the nerves for sure. It is a hybrid mix of the styles we anticipate from the Dred, with a groove and cinematic scope that simply blows the mind.
“We threw the kitchen sink at that one with all this ear candy,” says Mikey, citing details ranging from a mouth harp to the whipcrack of a lasso. “We imagined we were watching a movie trailer for a weird ragga-Metal cowboy western.”
It truly is this and possesses one of the crunchiest riffs on the entire album that will get the Skindred appreciative Metalheads shaking the dandruff with more energy than might be considered necessary.
And they follow this with another huge riff-driven classic, This Is the Sound, which sees Benji in full rapping poet mode whilst the groove is another that will get entire fields bouncing across those summer festivals.
Glass, the midpoint mark on the album, sees Skindred drop the tempo and bring their reggae more to the fore, reminiscent of The Specials in part. It is another song Benji brings real emotion to, a track about those who have influenced him who are no longer here.
“A lot of people who really empowered me have passed over,” the big man says. “I know I’ve lost a piece of my heart, but they’re going to be with me for eternity for the encouragement they’ve given me. I’m never going to lose that.”
It is something that this band do well, and whether you like the style of delivery or not, the sentiment is true and honest. It is also a tribute to his late friend, the Black Roots drummer, Trevor Seivwright, who encouraged a young Benji that he could be into punk rock as well as R&B and reggae.
Throughout the album, there are hooks big enough to hold Moby Dick, the dancehall vibe that gets you moving whether you want to or not, and hard-hitting tracks that slam your face.
Big Em Up combines every aspect of the band in one curled ball of a track. It is the essence of modern-day Skindred. Similarly, Do It Like This is another that will get people jumping across Europe.
There are some weaker songs, as I would expect. Broke is not a favourite by any stretch, a tale of having no money, something the band relate to from their formative years and backgrounds, whilst I find penultimate song Give Thanks, which drops into the band’s reggae and R&B mode, another which drifts slightly.
But these are small points in an album which is more consistent for me than those that have gone before.
The band have pulled in the quality for production as well with Grammy-winning Jay Ruston, whose work spreads from Desmond Child to Corey Taylor and Mike Patton’s Mr Bungle. “It was working with someone who didn’t just stay in one lane, which is exactly what Skindred has always been about”, says Arya.
Tours are already announced, festivals booked, and it is going to be one busy year for the band. It is inevitable that it will make another assault on the UK charts, and who can begrudge them that?
This is the result of substantial hard graft over decades.
I, for one, am proud of the band and their attitude, even if they do not always grab my attention.
Skindred release You Got This on 17 April 2026 via Earache Records. Pre-orders are available from earache.lnk.to/YouGotThis. The band have also announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album. Tickrets are available via Skindred’s official website.
October
Rock City, Nottingham8 Talbot St, Nottingham, NG1 5GG
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best
Event Details
Welsh ragga Metal legends Skindred have announced a major UK and Ireland headline tour in support of their new album You Got This.
Widely regarded as one of the best live bands on the planet, Skindred are set to bring their explosive energy to Nottingham, Birmingham, Dublin, Belfast and Glasgow. The tour will also feature a special Halloween show at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The tour follows the success of their latest single Can I Get A, which premiered on BBC 6Music and was named Track of the Week on Virgin Radio. The band continue to fuse Heavy riffs with dancehall rhythms, delivering their signature high-energy sound.
Review: Tom Davies and the Bluebirds – Angel On The Mississippi Self/Released – April 10th, 2026 Reviewer – Paul Dubbelman Tom Davies and the Bluebirds may not be a name that is familiar to many but watch this space because this young man and his band are most definitely going places. Already ruffling feathers in […]
This fan may have just been starting out in primary school when Suzi Quatro had her first UK number with ‘Can the Can’ in 1973, however, it was still a great moment to finally see her live on stage. Big … Continue reading 
