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  • Ice of Neptune – Shots and Dollars (2026)


    Shots and Dollars is the second full-length release by Ice of Neptune, an independent alternative/progressive rock band formed between Italy and Greece.

    Shots and Dollars is a concept album set in Chicago in 1929 and the years immediately following the Great Depression. The story opens with a boy shaped by poverty, defined by hunger, silence, and the cold that hardens his earliest ambitions. Over time, that ambition intensifies: first into determination, then into fixation.

    We follow him into adulthood as he climbs through the criminal underworld, commits an impulsive murder during a robbery, and begins an unraveling that ultimately leads him back to prison, closing the tale in a tense, cyclical ending.

    The album comprises 9 songs for 43 minutes of music. A dark and cinematic start (and fantastic drumming) with the opener Interrogation, a very versatile track in between many genres and perfect for a Broadway musical thanks to a great arrangement and versatile vocals. 1929, the following track, slows down the pace a bit with wind instruments in evidence but without losing the cinematic experience, with super catchy vocal lines. Another change in scenario for New Bright Star (almost a dance, I love the bass lines), and at this point in the album it’s very clear that the performance/arrangement follows the mood of the story and we are going to be surprised song after song.

    Electro pop vibes for The Script and Run (great backing vocals and arrangement on the first one). Despite not being my genre, I find them extremely interesting for the different solutions used. Another pleasant change of scenario with the title track, Shots and Dollars (almost western and with fantastic prog bits), probably my favourite song on the full-length, if I have to choose one. Dramatic and cinematic is Sins of Vanity, (fantastic vocals and drumming), while Fading light is a pure symphonic metal song (great riffs, solo and vocal “exchange”), while the last The curtain falls is melodic and with a captivating piano track, evolving in a uplifting tune full of lots of tasty details, change of atmospheres and the usual great vocal lines and quality arrangement. A fantastic closure for a quality album.

    Shots and Dollars is a super eclectic album, amazingly written, performed and produced. It’s not easy to switch between many genres while keeping the same identity. A quality work from every point of view, everything is in the right place. 

    Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and follow Ice of Neptune as well.

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  • Degreed – Curtain Calls (Album Review)

    My love for Swedish melodic rockers Degreed should be well established by now. Such is their consistency across 7 previous studio albums, there was never any doubt they would deliver again on ‘Curtain Calls’, their 8th all-new full album.   This album is packed with another 10 cracking tracks in their usual modern meets classic meets Swedish melodic hard rock sound.   Opening with a flurry with ‘One Helluva Ride’ and ‘Holding On To Yesterday’, the band then slide into one of their very best pure melodic bliss anthems ‘Believe’. It really should be on radio everywhere. For the rest of the album it is the band’s usual mix of swirling keyboards meshed with big guitars and a pulsating rhythms driving some classic melodic rock and slightly heavier moments.   After all these years the lads aren’t beyond throwing in a couple of curve balls. The haunting and largely acoustic driven ‘The Rambler’ is just brilliant. As is the lush AOR of ‘Matter Of The Heart’.   Degreed are one of melodic rock’s finest portrayers of Swedish melody and while I might rate a few of the earlier albums slightly above this; there really isn’t much in it.  Just another great Degreed album.
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    Reviews

  • Degreed – Curtain Calls (Album Review)

    My love for Swedish melodic rockers Degreed should be well established by now. Such is their consistency across 7 previous studio albums, there was never any doubt they would deliver again on ‘Curtain Calls’, their 8th all-new full album.   This album is packed with another 10 cracking tracks in their usual modern meets classic meets Swedish melodic hard rock sound.   Opening with a flurry with ‘One Helluva Ride’ and ‘Holding On To Yesterday’, the band then slide into one of their very best pure melodic bliss anthems ‘Believe’. It really should be on radio everywhere. For the rest of the album it is the band’s usual mix of swirling keyboards meshed with big guitars and a pulsating rhythms driving some classic melodic rock and slightly heavier moments.   After all these years the lads aren’t beyond throwing in a couple of curve balls. The haunting and largely acoustic driven ‘The Rambler’ is just brilliant. As is the lush AOR of ‘Matter Of The Heart’.   Degreed are one of melodic rock’s finest portrayers of Swedish melody and while I might rate a few of the earlier albums slightly above this; there really isn’t much in it.  Just another great Degreed album.
    Categories: 
    Reviews

  • Listening Now : SOFT NO – Oxford Street

    Oxford Street by SOFT NO hits with a restless, emotional urgency that feels both immediate and deeply reflective. The track balances jagged guitars and driving rhythm with a melodic core that keeps everything grounded, creating that push and pull between chaos and clarity. There is a raw, lived in feeling to the vocals, carrying a sense of memory and loss without losing momentum. The energy never dips, it just shifts shape, blending intensity with atmosphere in a way that feels natural.

    It is cathartic, vibrant, and quietly haunting beneath its forward motion.

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  • Listening Now : running empty – frost

    frost by running empty proves that even 59 seconds can be more than enough when the mood is this precise. It captures a fleeting, wintry feeling with minimal strokes, letting soft, fragile textures speak without overextending the idea. There is a quiet intimacy in its brevity, like a passing thought you almost miss but keep replaying. Nothing feels rushed or incomplete, instead it lands exactly where it needs to.

    A short, delicate piece that leaves a lasting imprint, showing that sometimes less truly carries more weight.

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  • Listening Now : Lumirex – Evening Star

    Evening Star by Lumirex unfolds with a quiet gravity, pulling you into its orbit through slow, deliberate motion. The subtle piano feels distant and fragile, flickering against a backdrop of dense, evolving textures that steadily build tension without ever fully breaking. There is a controlled emotional weight here, anchored by a deep low end that hums beneath everything like a constant presence. It does not rush or demand attention, it draws you in gradually, almost subconsciously.

    A shadowy, immersive piece that lingers in the air, balancing restraint with a quiet, cinematic intensity.

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  • BREAKING: Pentagon Confirms Kid Rock Flyby Was Phase One Of A Classified Operation

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — In what officials are now calling “a completely normal and definitely not embarrassing misunderstanding,” the U.S. Army has confirmed that last weekend’s mysterious helicopter hover over Kid Rock’s Nashville mansion was not a routine training exercise. According to sources, the two AH-64 Apache helicopters seen circling th… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

  • Listening Now : Half-Ass Astronaut – Wobbly Gobbly

    Wobbly Gobbly by Half-Ass Astronaut taps into that playful, off kilter spirit of early IDM, where melody and oddity coexist in a strangely satisfying balance. The track leans into its quirks, letting warped synth lines and jittery rhythms bounce around with a sense of curiosity rather than control. There is a nostalgic undercurrent, but it never feels stuck in the past, instead reshaping those classic influences into something more fluid and approachable. It feels unpredictable yet oddly structured, like chaos with a loose blueprint.

    A charming, slightly mischievous piece that keeps your attention through its constant shifts.

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  • Listening Now : Drifting in Silence – Moving Forward Into

    Moving Forward Into by Drifting in Silence feels like a slow exhale, unfolding in gentle waves that never rush their destination. The piece drifts between ambient stillness and subtle motion, with soft textures gradually opening up like light through a fogged window. There is a quiet sense of progression, not dramatic, but deeply felt, as if each layer nudges you forward without resistance. It carries a reflective calm that borders on meditative, allowing space for thought to wander freely.

    A serene, immersive composition that finds beauty in patience and understated movement.

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