Refusing to pick a lane usually ends in a pile-up, but for Man Band, it’s a masterstroke of survival. We live in an era where every new project is desperate to be the face of a hyper-specific sub-genre, yet this lot have emerged with a debut that proudly claims “genre fluidity” as its primary architecture.
It doesn’t sound like a band performing through a PA; it feels like they are performing directly in front of you in a room that’s just a bit too small for the ambition of the noise.
The track list moves with a restless energy, from the opening grit of Dane Valley to the brilliantly titled My Dad’s Bigger Than Your Dad. Musically, it’s a sound that understands the “shove” of post-hardcore but isn’t afraid to let a bit of melodic air into the mix.
The guitars scrape against each other with a surgical precision, providing a dense, rhythmic framework for those intimate vocals to inhabit.
Man Band have created a manifesto for their own unpredictability. Strong Man is a record of sharp edges and uncomfortable honesty, and I’m genuinely curious to see how this specific, “in-your-face” energy translates to a live stage. It’s an essential addition to the rotation, a heavy, shimmering reminder that sometimes the most powerful noise is the one that refuses to play by the rules.
I’ll be hunting down a tour date the moment the ink is dry on this review.
8/10 Gnod – Chronicles Of Gnowt Vol 1 (Rocket Recordings) [Mark Young]This is a difficult album to review; I’ll be honest with you. It represents an audio journey that doesn’t sit in my particular wheelhouse and at times it felt that I was reacting against it because its not death metal, it isn’t thrash, or 60s psychedelia. Its none of those, its purely them.
Now, I have a particular affinity for Gnod, for no other good reason than they are from Salford and so I am I. I love the fact that (in their own words) they have entered their 20th anniversary with a burst of creative energy, writing music that fits them and if it resonates with you, ace.
Three Tree’s (Part 1) is our starting point. A gentle introduction that has a stark beauty to it and in a change to every other album it doesn’t give you any clues as to how the rest of the album unfolds.
Shadow Mirror blimps along, a steady pace and composition that stays consistent In its execution. In doing so, it immediately sets itself apart from everyone else in that they don’t feel the need to change much, barring embellishments that drop in without altering the sound.
Neptune is different again, a stream of consciousness soundscape whilst Three Trees (Part 2) builds and expands without really going anywhere with it. From the acoustic ‘quiet’ of the trees, we enter All Tunnel No Light with a tempo that could out-doom anyone. It develops around a simple idea, which is then built on without ever changing that glacial pace.
It’s a hard listen, 9 minutes that rumbles and rumbles that somehow entrances you to stay with it that is then offset by Ekstasis, which I can only describe as being ‘bouncy’. I realise that as an accurate description, which is pretty poor but as a piece of art, its something else. It’s a living, breathing thing that comes at you from a completely different angle, and I applaud them for it.
What intrigues me is how these songs will translate in that live setting. They don’t strike me as the sort of band that will settle for playing a song the same way, rather that they would take every opportunity to do something new. In any respect, it’s not for everyone and why would it be but it is for those who love the unexpected.
Is it something I would come back to? That’s a tough call because it doesn’t sit within my normal range of music. But it interests me and the fact that they have the guts to do what they want to do makes it a vital release. 8/10
Evil Warriors – Evil Warriors (Into Endless Chaos Records) [Mark Young]
Ok, so Evil Warriors have been around since 2007, haling from Leipzig and have dropped an unabashed, some might say primitive exercise in heavy metal. That is in no way a slight on them, it just a fact. If you add into that mix some heavy run times and this becomes a war of attrition. One that involves sax.
Zweifel is a prime example of this, an opening statement of discord and fury, and some filthy riffing. It’s what I think Black Metal should sound like – raw, unprocessed, harsh and uncompromising. Its 12 minutes long and there is absolutely no reason it should be this long.
Except that it is, and this is the way they wrote it and if it’s not for you, well don’t let the door hit you on the way out. It hits a particular speed and then just maintains it, running forward without taking a breath. Being honest, it wasn’t for me, but I can appreciate it as the monster it is.
Luckily, Suche is only 9 minutes long and takes its cues from the opening track. Again, it takes its time in unfolding and then its bang and away, hammering away at you with a more frozen style of execution. The end result is the same though, it is a harsh listen that is not for everyone.
Having two tracks that weight in at 20 plus minutes is a bold move, and you have to be able to back that up with music that is engaging. This is my problem, for me it isn’t, and as a result of that I’m fighting the urge to throw the towel in.
Possessed steams in, all blasts and that filthy riffing again. This is as old school as you can get and with it being hewn from a more traditional path which makes it more of an accessible listen.
It doesn’t quite stay in that traditional vein though, as that sax makes its appearance again, taking a more prominent place here but I’m hanging on for dear life to stay the course, because frankly I’m knackered from listening to it.
Entäußerung starts up like Possessed, except this time I’m not getting my hopes up, I just want them to play through it without doing anything too leftfield with it, I want them to show me some traditional extreme metal and they do. Fieber is their closer and closely echoes Suche in its set up and execution.
You can’t fault their approach; they are consistent here in doing whatever they want to suit them, I’m just not sure how attractive it is. 6/10
Bleak – It’s All Bleak (Independent) [Spike]
Side projects are the experimental kitchens of the music world, places where an artist can mess with the recipe without the pressure of burning down the main restaurant.
They offer a necessary outlet for restlessness, and with It’s All Bleak, the project known simply as Bleak has stepped into a territory that feels more like a clinical study in tone than a standard metal release. It’s an exercise in exploring the darker, more electronic-tinged edges of the sound spectrum, and while the technical execution is as sharp as a scalpel, the emotional anchor never quite feels like it’s hooked into the floorboards.
The EP opens with Bleach, and the first thing you notice is the transition in texture. This is a far cry from the raw grit we usually look for in the basement scene. There’s a high-velocity, mechanical precision here, a sound that is clearly produced with a massive amount of skill, but it feels strangely detached.
It’s followed by Leech and Dig Deep, which continue this trend of “skilled misdirection.” The riffs are heavy and the rhythmic engine is impressive, yet the “joins” between the electronic elements and the metalcore foundations feel a bit too visible, creating a friction that hinders the flow rather than helping it.
What’s interesting about this release is how it’s being received in the wider circuit. A quick look at the Danish press shows a lot of love for the “uncompromising” nature of the sound, and you can see why.
Tracks like Burned Out showcase a level of talent that many bands would kill for. The issue for me, however, is the “mark” itself. Sometimes, a record can tick every box for quality and still leave you cold. It’s an honest account of a creative detour, but one that seems to prioritize the “how” of the music over the “why.”
The finale, It’s All Bleak, features Gradience and attempts to synthesize the various forces at play into a cohesive ending. It’s a dense, sprawling bit of songwriting that moves through movements of industrial-tinged aggression and atmospheric drifting.
It’s arguably the most “in focus” moment on the record, yet even here, I find myself looking for that visceral, human ache that defines the most vital bits of the underground. It’s polished, it’s professional, and it’s perfectly executed, but it lacks the cracks in the wall that usually make the music feel alive.
Ultimately, It’s All Bleak is a record that I respect more than I actually enjoy. It’s an essential part of an artist’s growth, the kind of detour that allows for a new perspective but as a listening experience, it feels like a transmission from a frequency that I’m just not tuned into.
It’s proof that skill and talent can only take you so far if the soul of the noise doesn’t quite align with the listener. I’m glad it exists as a document of exploration, but for now, personally I need something that feels a bit less bleak. 6/10
