Reviewed: May, 2026 Released: 2024, Indie Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: JP In my quest to read and review every Metal book ever, I always have my […]
The post Chase, Mason-Gateceeper-CreeperVision (Book/Magazine review) appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
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Khan-Harris, Keith- The Beautiful Death Of Ozzy Osbourne (Book review)
Reviewed: April, 2026 Released: 2026, Harper Collins Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: JP Anytime that an iconic, popular and widely-recognized figure in any social realm (film, music, […]
The post Khan-Harris, Keith- The Beautiful Death Of Ozzy Osbourne (Book review) appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
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Quick Jabs for June 2026
Assignment – With The End Comes Silence March 20th, 2026 – Massacre Records Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 Reviewer: John Haseltine WITH THE END COMES SILENCE […]
The post Quick Jabs for June 2026 appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
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Harsh – Feels
Harsh – Feels Reviewed: June 2026 Released: 03 July 2026, Firelfash Records Rating: 5 / 5 Reviewer: Mignonette Ellis Following the release of their brand […]
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Gallardo, Matias-Born For Burning: The History Of Black Metal (Book review)
Reviewed: May, 2026 Released: 2026, Index Verlag Rating: 4/5 Reviewer: JP The early press for BORN FOR BURNING somewhat facetiously asked, ‘Do we need another […]
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More-Destructor
Reviewed: May, 2026 Released: March 2026, Warhead Music Rating: 3/5 Reviewer: JT London-based More were one of the many NWOBHM acts who could have […]
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Paul McCartney | The Boys Of Dungeon Lane – New Studio Release Review
Paul McCartney’s The Boys Of Dungeon Lane, his first new album in five years, is subject to as much scrutiny as it is hype. Such is the challenge of a legacy artist with a larger-than-life history. With the looming shadow of the Beatles hanging over his every move since the group disbanded in 1970, McCartney knows the bar is extremely high. He proved to be sustainable with Wings, whereas his solo work since has been uneven, with dashes of brilliance here and there.
Now, in his early 80s with little else to prove, Paul McCartney, with the help of producer Andrew Watt, threw everything into the blender, playing most of the instruments and turning out melodies like candy off a conveyer belt. Cut through the spoken-word intro of “As You Lie There,” and there he is, belting out the chorus like it’s yesterday. A simple and quick guitar interlude and another roll through the chorus before ending on a solemn note. Classic McCartney to get things started.
From there, the record evolves holistically, touching on ideas around love, life, and perspective. The harmonies sound a tad generic (i.e., sorely lacking that distinctive personality of John Lennon or Linda McCartney) as if to not impede upon the singer’s vocals, themselves a source of speculation for the last few years. There’s little argument he can’t pull off “Band on The Run” like he used to. So maybe we can forgive him, considering the mood, for sounding his age on sentimental droolers like “Days We Left Behind,” “Life Can Be Hard” or “Momma Gets By.”
There’s plenty to relish as well. “Lost Horizon” lifts off like a vintage Wings rocker, while “Ripples In A Pond” is a snappy, pop-infested romp with an insatiable guitar jiggy and a titillating tolerance level. “Mountain Top” follows and gives us the album’s most hallucinatory moments filled with talking magic mushrooms and flying pumpkin pies set against an alluring soundtrack. The blaring guitars that bring it home are glaring reminders that McCartney hasn’t gone completely soft.
“Come Inside” and “Never Know” are two more with punch, power and purity. You can’t really say the same for “Home To Us,” the much-heralded duet with Ringo Starr. The novelty of the two surviving Beatles singing together for the first time may be its only redeeming quality. Who knows, maybe “First Star Of The Night” would have been a nice Beatle song. And perhaps “Salesman Saint” is McCartney’s glossy antidote for John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero.”
Nods to his past, drowning in Liverpudlian lore, stray far and beyond Dungeon Lane. Still, this is hardly a collection of memories drowning in nostalgia. The Boys Of Dungeon Lane indulges us with all sorts of possibilities, no matter what stage of the game you’re in. Widening the scope, some might see it as a glimmer of hope in desperate times. Whether or not it will enjoy repeated spin cycles alongside Abbey Road and Venus & Mars remains to be seen.
~ Shawn Perry
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DESTRUCTION OF THE HEALER Release New Track ‘Sekhmet’
Australian melodic death metal force Destruction of the Healer continue the march towards their highly anticipated new full-length album, A Universe Bereaved (out July 9), with the release of their crushing second single Sekhmet. Following the relentless technical ferocity of previous single Bestial Hunger, Sekhmet reveals another side of the band’s evolving sound. Drawing inspiration […] -
Album Review: Converge – Hum of Hurt
Album Review: Converge – Hum of Hurt
Reviewed by Oli Gonzalez
“Hey Oli, would you be able to review the new Converge album?”
I could do, I thought to myself, with an air of confusion as it had only been a few months since I had submitted my review for “Love Is Not Enough”. See, some bands keep you waiting for years for a new album (Tool, we’re looking at you!). Some keep a more steady and faster release cadence. Then there’s Converge releasing two full lengths within four months! Given the reaction to February 2026’s “Love Is Not Enough”, I don’t think anybody is going to complain with more music from the metalcore bruisers! So I had no real hesitation in adding a second Converge album to my writing list within the same half of the year!
Emotion.
The whole album is predicated on emotion. More specifically, rage. Take exhibit A, opening track ‘Slip The Noose’ to illustrate this. Here, the voice of Jacob Bannon is the living embodiment of rage, with each utterance dripping with primitive angst! Well, it’s hardly going to be a love song with a title like ‘Slip The Noose’ now is it? The music yet feels somewhat refined and more elaborate than you’d have first expected. An intriguing juxtaposition, offering a deceptively complex Dillinger Escape Plan style vibe. Before you have time to ponder and analyse this, you’re already thrown into the next round of this gauntlet, with ‘Doom in Bloom’ offering a slower sludgier attack but one that pulls no punches with its emotional output! The band spoke of their approach to recording in “Love Is Not Enough”. An approach that incorporated many single take recordings, effectively creating a live studio environment. If it comes out slightly sloppy and a note is one 8th of a second out of time, then so be it. The end product is one that the musicians enjoyed so much more as well as feeling like a more honest believable one. It’s likely they took a similar approach to “Hum Of Hurt”.
The songs come quick and fast, hovering around the two minute mark as is the case for ‘It Only Gets Worse’. Maybe they’re coming too quick and fast because there’s a lack of salient moments or hooks. Hooks like the infectious and instantly memorable chorus for ‘We Were Never The Same’ from the previous record.
Though, things change during ‘Dream Debris’. At six minutes, this is almost like Dream Theatre length song by Converge’s standards. Emotion and rage are still the key cogs in the machine. Though it seems to come out in more managed and controlled outlets. Whether it’s through the mysterious and ominous guitar arpeggios, the hypnotic instantly memorable drums and bass, the impression is one of a slow yet no less cathartic output. Jacob gives one of his strongest vocal performances on what is a complex and challenging song! Definitely one of the highlights of the album.
All great albums need space for the songs to breathe. A two and a half minute instrumental in the shape of ‘It Used To Matter’ provides just that! The pace slows to a glacial drip, the mood is austere and melancholic, your senses have time to recoup and regenerate. We needed that rest before getting thrown into the maelstrom that is ‘Hum Of Hurt’. This is another with an infectious groove – a neck snapping groove at that – with the guitars providing the melodic focal point, invoking a vibe like that of the early 00s metalcore movement. Whereas ‘Nothing Is Over’ invokes the most sadistic and venomous sludge-infused attack of the album yet…and that’s saying something! This isn’t just rage, this is all-out unfiltered fury! The kind that would make you want to tear up your living room furniture. Oof, this is gonna to cause some carnage in the live arena.
Then, it’s over. Just like that! As quickly as it started.
Converge left the world desperate for more after the release of “Love Is Not Enough”. “Hum Of Hurt” helps to quench that thirst, but we still need more Converge! Maybe a third album in the autumn of 2026?
The post Album Review: Converge – Hum of Hurt appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
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LATEX GRENADE Return With New Single ‘Suffer’
San Diego hard rock trio Latex Grenade has officially unleashed their blistering new single and music video, Suffer, the latest offering from their long-awaited upcoming album, Bee Miner. Known for their explosive blend of punk energy, thrash-infused riffs and anthemic hard rock hooks, Latex Grenade have spent over a decade carving out their reputation as […]