Throwing Bricks And Ontaard – Something To Lose (Live at Roadburn 2025) (Independent/Roadburn Records) [Spike]
You can practically feel the condensation dripping from the ceiling of the Engine Room before the first chord even tears through the static. It’s almost possible to think of that moment where the crowd’s collective breath holds just long enough for the needle to find the groove and drop you headfirst into the front-row of this experience.
When Walter (Roadburn’s creative director) commissioned Utrecht’s Throwing Bricks and Ontaard to collaborate for the 2025 edition, he wasn’t just asking for a shared set; he was inviting a collision. The result, Something to Lose, is a live document that sounds like a collective panic attack being slowly converted into a desperate, beautiful act of resistance.
I’ve been spinning this recording on repeat, and the sense of “fragility” the bands talk about is nearly palpable. It’s a sound built in the shadow of a world that feels like it’s breaking apart, rising fascism, climate collapse, the general weight of existence and you can hear that anxiety vibrating in the plumbing of the music. It’s a marriage of sludge-heavy grit and blackened post-metal despair that feels entirely earned, recorded on a Friday afternoon that clearly pushed both units to their absolute limit.
The set opens with Basal Hope, a seven-minute slow-burn that establishes the atmospheric threshold. It’s dense, claustrophobic, and moves with a tectonic weight that reminds me of that specific, early Neurosis trick of making a riff feel like a physical burden you’re forced to carry. By the time they hit On The Verge Of Something Unnerving, the friction between the two bands has fused into a singular, massive engine of noise.
The absolute pivot point of the performance for me is Acid To Fascists. That spoken word intro is a masterstroke; it provides a moment of chilling, intellectual clarity amidst the gloom, acting as a fuse that slowly burns toward an inevitable explosion.
When the band finally cuts loose into that wall of rage, it’s not just “heavy”, it’s a visceral, seriously angry confrontation with the “never-ending despair” mentioned in their manifesto. It’s a masterclass in the build-up, proving that a scream only carries its full weight if the audience understands exactly why the lungs are being emptied in the first place.
The back half, Solitude and Mislay, allows the record to stretch into more cinematic, eleven-minute territory. The production avoids the “bootleg” pitfalls of many live releases, maintaining a level of clarity that lets you hear the distinct voices of the collaborators while keeping the “live” grit of being their to witness this.
When the final screech of feedback on Mislay eventually dissolves into the roar of the Tilburg crowd, you don’t feel like you’ve just finished a record; you feel like you’ve survived a wake. Something to Lose is a pained, honest jolt of reality that proves fragility isn’t a flaw, it’s the fuel. It’s the sound of a group of friends holding onto each other while the world outside burns, and honestly, it’s one of the most vital, properly noisy bits of live music I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to.
I mean why speak truth to power when you can scream into their face? 9/10
Powerrage – Beast (High Roller Records) [Matt Bladen]
Two former members of Canadian speed metal veterans Exciter? Yeah count me in! Guitarist John Ricci and vocalist Jacques Bélanger have both been members of Exciter, Ricci on the first three albums, then more recently when the original line up reformed, while Jacques sang on albums between 1997 and 2004.
However both now are back with Powerrage adding bassist Todd Pilon (ex-Witchkiller) and drummer Lucas Dery for some classic, dare I say exciting? Heavy metal riffage. Get the leather and chains out for this one as Beast is 34 minutes of heavy metal but it’s not a clone of Exciter, everything has been built from the ground up, new riffs, new attitude, never trying to rehash what’s come before.
Rather descending down a darker route favoured by Mercyful Fate, Accept and even Celtic Frost in parts, that supreme riff writing of Ricci still there but now distorted and gnarled through death and doom phrases, resulting in some of the heaviest music he’s been a part of with tracks like Haunted Hell, The Devil Is Screaming, I Torture I Kill and Damned And Cursed all have evil intentions, sinister, rusty guitar riffs and vocals that snarl and shriek.
It’s probably why Dan Swanö was tapped to give it his mix and master treatment, resulting in a extremely nasty sounding record. If you’re expecting Exciter think again, this is heavier, and more bloodsoaked than they ever were. 8/10
Olympus – Knowing It Shall Wake (Self Released) [Cherie Curits]
Olympus brings us their magnetic debut EP; Knowing It Shall Wake. Though there are only 4 tracks to speak of, each is gloomy and mysterious and crammed full of glorious texture. The instrumentals are powerful and gripping from the start, creating a loud and passionate atmosphere. It’s rushing, melodramatic and the harsh, raspy metal vocals contrast the radiant pitch of the riffs and pulls the narrative into a more pacing and oppressive feel that makes an impact.
There’s a lot being conveyed in this one, which is great for a debut. Emperor And Revenant is downright neck breaking and would undoubtedly liven up a venue, which is juxtaposed by Out Of Reach and self-titled Knowing It Shall Wake. These two are stunning tracks leaning towards melancholy and gentle with a focus on tension building before a breakdown utilising snappy pre – choruses and backing vocals which is a unique spin on genre norms. We are being shown a dynamic range of skill both instrumentally and in the vocal range and delivery.
After years of planning and refinement as well as gigs around the south of England and Wales, Olympus has a well-established style and a firm stamp within Melodeath and local scenes which makes for a great set up for bigger things to come.
Overall, it’s a great listen its very well thought out and the energy is relentless and I’m a sucker for a sickening build over a breakdown. It’s well produced and each track other than the outro runs on the longer side without dragging. It’s a good fit for your everyday rotation, long drives and moody Sunday afternoons but perhaps it’s best not to play it at your Nan’s birthday BBQ. 7/10
Avon – Black On Sunshine (Go Down Records) [Joe Guatieri]
Avon are a Stoner Rock band from California that formed in 2015. The three-piece are made up out of James Childs on guitar and vocals, formerly in Airbus, bassist June Kato, who played with Black On Sunshine and the legendary drummer Alfredo Hernandez who was in Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age. They’ve released two albums and some singles, their last release was Dave’s Dungeon which came out in 2018.
I’ve previously seen them live in Bristol before, at The Louisiana on the 28th November 2023. They played a fantastic set, moving flawlessly from their own material into covers of Kyuss and Queens Of The Stone Age deep cuts. I remember screaming loudly when they started playing The Bronze, I was in awe as I never thought in a million years that I would see one of my favourite songs get played live. Now in 2026 they bring us their third album, Black On Sunshine. How does their new material look, we’ll find out now.
The record opens with the self-titled track and immediately we’re introduced to Alfredo’s classic gigantic pounding. The guitar and bass slide in so smoothly into a bright groove, making me feel like summer has just begun. The vocals sound natural and chilled out, having incredibly catchy moments, you can tell that the band are enjoying what they’re doing. There is also a great tapping solo which is calling out to the altar of Van Halen.
Directly following on from that we have Awkwardness, a song presents something that is way more busy in its style, shown by the start stop riffing. The instrumental starts off by feeling very separated and evident ghost notes are played by the bass, feeling spontaneous, it leaves a lot of room to play with and jam on in a live setting. Going into the chorus the song comes together like a puzzle, connecting with the guitar playing this lovely single note rhythm, it feels resolved.
Spacebar is next, which puts a smile on my face as it amps up the weirdness factor considerably with an alien-like approach to its flow. The song is a flower in bloom and opens up to reveal more of itself more as it shows the record at its heaviest point. The instruments going from sounding calm to angry, it’s a fantastic dynamic change and I’m left wondering how Avon achieved that.
Spacebar has more experimentation going on for it with synths colouring in pockets towards the end of the song, a welcome surprise. All of this combined with joyful doo-ops that come out of nowhere are a big salute to the self-titled Queens Of The Stone Age debut. Robot Rock is taken in a more melodic direction, this is no doubt my favourite song on Black On Sunshine.
It’s very unfortunate that frolicking through flowers in the heat comes to an end by track six with Nineteen Bruises. The riff in the song attempts to emulate Black Sabbath but it has no weight or bite behind it. The choruses here are more subdued and are too much of a departure from what the track is trying to do, it’s uneven and at worst generic.
This annoyance the deeper we get into the album with track eight, Doorway. It’s such a bore as the guitar meanders through the song, yeah it might be fuzzy but it just lacks personality. It’s odd for such a talented band, it’s as if they’re painting by numbers through the lens of Garage Rock, sadly it’s nothing but filler.
With Black On Sunshine, Avon goes from headbanging in the sun to complaining about them sweating in one fell swoop. The first three tracks are brilliant and fun but that is outweighed by a few songs which are directionless and a handful that are teeth-grindingly dull, they make me want to take a long nap midday.
Black On Sunshine speaks to me like the band rolled out the boat on the record and tried to get it out quickly because as they had a tour booked, more time was needed at the drawing board. Maybe a live album to keep fans engaged would have been a better choice.
Overall, Avon have delivered some wonderful albums over the years but this new release isn’t a part of that same esteemed class. Black On Sunshine is all over the place in terms of quality and flow and feels unfocused as a result. You’ll get some enjoyment out of this but I think that more often than not people will end up scratching their heads thinking is that it?
I was very excited for this album but sadly I’m left with being disappointed by it. 5/10
The winners of the 2026 APRA Music Awards have been announced at a star-studded, centenary celebration event at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion this evening (Wednesday 29 April). The night’s big winners were Amyl and The Sniffers who took home three awards – the coveted Peer-Voted APRA Song of the Year and Most Performed Rock Work for […]