Sevendust – One (Napalm Records)One is the 15th album from Grammy nominated American heavy rock band Sevendust. A band who may, make you think of a certain era, emerging in the nu-metal/alt-metal scene of the late 90’s Sevendust are often compared to bands like Nonpoint, Mudvayne and Godsmack.
However I’d say that like Godsmack, they’ve managed to carve their own journey through the US metal scene, evolving alongside the changing music industry to keep themselves relevant musically but also releasing records that their devoted 7D army will love.
This balance of what’s popular and what’s true to them means that they have kept their popularity in their native country without falling into many of the traps these American metal radio staples have done. They’ve clearly got longevity, 15 albums and 30 years as a band is no small thing, especially now that nu-metal sound is having a resurgence and young bands are wearing their JNCO jeans and getting their breakdowns just right, so Sevendust are releasing record at a time when what they play has become the go to sound for many new bands, meaning their veteran status will definitely get people excited.
Once again Sevendust team up with Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge) for another record of grooving heavy metal tracks that are there to bang your head, the twin guitars of Clint Lowery and John Connolly, switching between chunky riffs and solos on
Is This The Real You, as a rock solid bottom end of Vince Hornsby (bass), and Morgan Rose (drums) lock in like it’s still 1999.
We Won and
Construct have those angular Nu-Metal riffs that inspired djent bands to do weird stuff with their guitars.
Sevendust are also masters of emotive lyrics that will make you feel. This emotional quotient comes from the brilliantly soulful voice of Lajon Witherspoon who croons over the melodic riffs of
Unbreakable, with a song of resilience, brings and aching power to
Bright Side but can also still snarl when the aggression must be dialled up on
Blood Price, his balance of melody and aggression has been so important to Sevendust over the years and continues to be a main component of their sound.
30 years later and Sevendust are not just nu-metal survivors, they’re alive and thriving with a sound that is driven by huge riffs but has a tenderness to it, 15 albums to their name and no sign of slowing down, Sevendust are
One standout in a packed genre pool.
8/10Cage Fight – Exuvia (Spinefarm)“With the knowledge of who we all are, we’ve managed to hone in on a sound that we really want – it feels like a rebirth of the band” says James Monteith about Cage Fight on their second album
Exuvia. If anything it’s a benefit of having time, their debut was whirlwind, coming out of the pandemic with a maelstrom of hardcore/thrash riffs ready for stages, musicians from across the genre divide ripping out fast and furious songs as a way of letting lose and having fun.
Monteith especially happy to just shred and riff without the normal focus on technique he needs in Tesseract. Cage Fight stormed stages too piling as many shows into gaps with their other bands as they could as they gained confidence and gelled as an incendiary live act.
Since the debut Cage Fight refined their venomous heavy metal, this more honed and deadly version of the band now poised to unleash a follow up album that has a much deeper bag of tricks and more resonant songwriting.
Rachel Aspe’s disgustingly vicious vocals are still front and centre, snarling, gargling with brutal cuts like Pig (a song about misogyny Rachel has had to deal with online) as Julien Truchan from Benighted adds brees to Pick Your Fighter, but Rachel shows clean vocals on the dynamic
Un Bon Souvenir.
The drumming of Nick Plews is ferocious, inhuman double kicks and stomps for those beatdowns, he does a lot more in the backroom than a normal ‘extreme’ metal drummer would, keeping the pace blistering but able to slow for when deftness is favoured over destruction.
Exuvia is the first album to feature new bassist Will Horsman, not only strengthening their thick grooves but also adding to the writing/lyrics, though the majority were written by Rachel who dove deep into her own personal experiences and life adding an emotional aspect to the extremity, whether it’s the death of her grandfather, online trolls, or her journaling to deal with a traumatic event, there’s a lot of resilience and defiance in this record
Heightened by the more expansive sound they’ve experimented with as James’ guitars are still anchored to hardcore heaviness but also add thrash, tech death, groove classic metal and there’s acoustics on interlude
Le Déni, where they build into the tech death inspired title track that rips your throat out as
Élégie is a fragile, introspective end to the record, full of atmosphere.
Exuvia “refers to the outer skin that’s shed by creatures like arachnids, crustaceans and insects” and for Cage Fight it’s the beginning of a new chapter, they’re now in their final form, prepare your ears for a heavy metal noise that’s as uncompromising as it is inventive.
9/10Spell – Wretched Heart (Bad Omen Records)
There are few bands around today that exemplify heavy metal as much as Spell.
The Canadian band are now on their fifth album and they have been constantly expanding their sound since their debut, moving from their NWOBHM beginnings, a place where band leader Cam Mesmer (vocals, bass, rhythm guitar & synthesizers) has always been a devotee of, his inspirations being Priest, Maiden etc.
However this is heavy metal and heavy metal has always evolved, it gets bigger, bolder, more theatrical and Spell have embraced all theses aspects as they’ve moved through their career. Mesmer is of course is joined by comrade in arms Al Lester (vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar & drums) both guiding Spell through every manifestation.
With their previous effort they went a bit more gothic with their sound on Wretched Heart they maintain this joining the classic metal stylings while also adding some glam, psych and doom flourishes with an abundance of lead guitars due to new additions Jeff Black and Gabriel Tenebrae (also synthesizers), who simply love to show off at every opportunity.
Their recent tours with Green Lung, Wytch Hazel and Angel Witch have reinforced this line up and you can hear it on Wretched Heart, this is band who are in a special kind of harmonic unison, guided by producer Felix Fung to make it their most boisterous and excited selection of tracks to date but set against their melancholy and most personal set of lyrics so far.
Spell also have tapped a couple of guests for the record too, as former Spirit Adrift and axeman for hire Tom Draper gives a solo on Lilac, there’s also some big female backing vocals from Alison Black, Kalen Baker and Stephanie House, adding to the pomp that’s all over this record, while Nicole “Trish” McDonal has screams on Iron Teeth, which sounds like Pantera meets symphonic metal.
From the synthy drive of Dark Inertia, to the gothic first single Lilac and Exquisite Corpse, there’s a dark strut to Unquiet Graves and Savage Scourge, while there’s also 80’s post punk on Oubilette and the title track takes it right back to some Maiden gallops, Spell finishing where they started.
Wretched Heart features a revamped version of Spell playing their most impressive material yet, the alchemy they’ve been toying with over the last records has led to the their most complete effort yet. 10/10
(16)- Forgeries Vol. 1, 1972 – 1984 (Heavy Psych Sounds)
SoCal sludge band (16) have been bringing the noise since 1991 and quickly established the sludge sound to a wider audience. They split and then reformed in 2007, releasing six albums since then the most recent in 2025, all on Relapse records, however they are now signed to Heavy Psych Sounds.
Their debut is not an album of new material but one that pays homage to their influences, specifically music from 1972 to 1984, this mean it draws from both the riff heavy classic rock and aggro punk/hardcore scenes, both side of which have always been so strong in the music of (16).
Kicking off with a rougher, sludgy version of Can’t Get Enough by Scorpions, Bobby Ferry’s rough rhythm guitar and rougher vocals lead the charge while Alex Shuster’s lead guitar gets to bring some solos to Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll by Blue Öyster Cult and Mother Mary by UFO, where bassist Barney Firks and drummer Dion Thurman give it some thick grooves.
Speaking of thick grooves a guarantee you’ve never heard a psychedelic doom version of Tragedy by the Bee Gees, well you have now, and it’s probably the best song on the record. There’s also some Black Sabbath, of course, and the punk covers of the likes of Black Flag, Agent Orange and X are all pretty close to the originals, though Bloodstains is slowed down significantly, but given the reverence for sure.
For long time fans, Forgeries Vol. 1, 1972 – 1984, will be an interesting little curio, a band they know, playing the songs of bands they know more. However it’s clever way to introduce themselves to a new label as it sets out what to expect from (16)’s own material to a potential new audience in preparation of what they do next with Heavy Psych Sounds. 7/10
