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Soho Dukes deservedly raised their profile with the release of their third album, Nighthawks, Acrobats And Everything Under The Moon, and Don’t Spare the Horses feels like exactly the right way to keep that momentum galloping forward.

Soho Dukes – Don’t Spare The Horses

Release Date: Out Now

Words: Liz Medhurst

Recorded at Bedford Esquires on the final night of their support run with The Quireboys (a real match made in heaven putting those two bands together), this boisterous live set really hits the spot.

It is safe to describe the music as timeless, being simultaneously old-fashioned in all the right ways and thoroughly modern in its bite.

From the moment opener Home Sweet Camden Town sets out the stall, the album has the easy swagger of proper rhythm and blues welded to rock ‘n’ roll urgency. 

As easy as it is to get swept away in the music, wonderfully embellished with lashings of proper piano, to stop there would be to miss some of the best bits.

Step forward frontman Johnny Barracuda, who is nothing short of a genius storyteller who pulls you into this vivid, colourful world. The lyrics are so witty and so London. There are more pop culture references than you can shake a stick at, each name-check beautifully placed. 

The sound is full and lively, with thirteen tracks nicely representing all three albums. Overall, it has done the job in accurately capturing the vibrant atmosphere.

One advantage of being support to The Quireboys is that frontman Spike is on hand to reprise his guest appearance on record to add those familiar Geordie tones to A Stone’s Throw. It is the only slow number in the set, but there is still plenty of energy and drive to the track. 

Soho Dukes let the music do the talking, and their personality comes through loud and clear. Very little between-song banter remains, but it is simply not needed.

Don’t Spare The Horses is a vivid document of a band and audience having an absolute blast together. This band know exactly who they are, and here they show it with gusto.

It is impossible not to enjoy an hour spent in Soho Dukes world. This is time well spent. 

Soho Dukes released Don’t Spare The Horses on 4 September 2026 via Duchess Records. More details are available here.

The post Soho Dukes / Don’t Spare The Horses Captures Rock ‘n’ Roll Swagger In Full Flight first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

The German-English doom metal heroes of Thronehammer are releasing their second single, the epic and highly melodic “Onwards To Oblivion,” featuring Max Hemmann of Motorowl: https://youtu.be/IthZ-9uM5EU?si=cHXyBbLtPIbv6if1 With Slay | Kill | Erase, set for release on October 9, 2026, via Supreme Chaos Records, Thronehammer presents their most ambitious work to date. Eight songs with a… Continue Reading →

After his split with Paul Simon, he failed at being a math teacher, lost his partner to suicide and spent six years walking across the U.S. and Europe. Continue reading…

Live Review: Kill-Town Death Fest – Thursday

3rd September 2026
Words: Sam Jones

Following a genuine multitude of drinks in the Pumphuset’s grounds the first band of the festival, Morbific, were off to a roaring start as tone and creating weight fired to create something far from he planes of conventional mortality. Finnish death metal assails all present for six in the evening may be piddling by many’s standards but they won’t stop the myriads of hungry death metal fanatics from eating it all up.

My next act were Father Befouled whose act I joined halfway through following the consumption of much needed food round the corner, finding the band going from strength to strength with a packed crowd one must carefully traverse if a solid spot towards the front is to be secured. Honouring their late drummer, Father Befouled launched into the last song they all wrote together before their said drummer’s tragic passing and met with a forest of horns and a number of respectful cries from the audience.

We moved downstairs double time to get ready for Phenocryst, the Portuguese death metal act whom I was especially excited to see following the release of their Cremation Pyre record. As things began we were hit by a wall of bass and riffs heavy enough to reawaken dormant volcanoes; it’s heartening to see this middle stage so packed already on the first day and were able to get right to the front for Phenocryst as they launch into one track after another with zero decline in intensity nor passion. They were one of my most anticipated acts and they absolutely did not disappoint.

Returning once more upstairs we prepared for Purtenance, one of Finland’s greatest old school death metals and one I haven’t seen since 2020’s Finnfest back in London. Crowds don’t really need to congregate for bands until the last minutes prior to their coming on so it gives you room to breathe, catch up with friends, share (a multitude of) beers. Once Purtenance began it wasn’t long until the first real pit I’d seen at this year’s edition break out, that telltale rearrangement of a crowd’s shape as bodies and limbs begin to move and people throw themselves at each other. Given I saw Father Befouled, Phenocryst and Purtenance one after the other I was ready for some fresh air.

After additional beers, fresh air, some spur-of-the-moment merch buying, we were soon back inside and upstairs for Funebrarum. Their first European show since 2019, their first studio album in seventeen years, the hype was real for these guys as they came unto the stage awash with clashing cerulean and crimson hues. Right from the word go, the energy Funebrarum delivered was incredible, their frontman providing passion in droves, every musician throwing their heads back and forth with riffs grand enough to reshape continents. Pits break out, the first crowd surfers I’ve seen at this year’s festival are there; it’s a real celebration of Funebrarum’s return to the stage. I wanted to see Warp Chamber but given it was pushing one in the morning even prior to leaving the venue I decided to call it an night… there are still three whole days yet to go.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Live Review: Kill-Town Death Fest – Thursday appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Album Review: Shrineburner – Hymns Of Despair

Reviewed by Rich Sargeant

Forming in 2023, Shrineburner’s debut LP Hymns of Despair releasing 11th September offers up a monolithic wall of sludge largely focused on the band’s discontent with the hypocrisies of organised religion and bristling against the world’s slow decent into an unsalvageable hellscape. Not to be confused with their fellow Chicago-based doom outfit Shrinebuilder.

The album opens with a roughly minute long eerily droning intro ‘Void of Guilt’ – nicely allowing a quiet sense of dread to start to build and as a wise man once said: “the longer the note, the longer the dread” before crashing into the ~ten-minute epic ‘Spectral Cataclysm’ a crushing, defiant stand against organised religion and a rejection of our modern obsession with wealth. The following track ‘Bodies Dragged into Sunlight’ picks up the urgency with a misanthropic message about every-day people being sacrificed to benefit the elite, it is also the first single to be released from the album (probably wisely as it weighs in at a mere 6 minutes long compared to most of the rest of the album). ‘Slow Death Chant’ continues in similar fashion with some excellent Mastodon-esque riffs also clocking in at around five and half minutes.

The last two tracks ‘An Ocean of Broken Hope’ and the titular ‘Hymns of Despair’ are both take on exploring the futility of modern life while also allowing a small shred of hope to pierce through all the gloom both coming back into the meatier side being twelve and ten minutes respectively.

Overall, Hymns of Despair is one of the most impressive debuts of the year. This is a band exuding confidence despite only being in their third year of existence with a clear uncompromising vision and message to spread. This album isn’t for the faint of heart and demands the listener’s full attention but those that have the stomach will find a potential album of the year contender.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Album Review: Shrineburner – Hymns Of Despair appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

 

Grounded in heavy blues-rock and drawing heavily from classic ’60s and ’70s influences, Swedish band Angstbadan has built a sound that feels both timeless and fiercely personal. Following their critically acclaimed 2018 debut The Chase and its soul-infused 2021 follow-up Love and Mercy, the band, consisting of Filip Karlström (vocals/guitar), Joel Strandberg (bass), Lada Egolaeva (organ/keyboards), and Johan Kalla/Johan Svedmyr (drums), returns with their highly anticipated third album, recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Kapsylen with production by Jörgen “Jugglo” Wall and Anders “Boba” Lindström (The Hellacopters).

Are You Crying Now is a blasting, high-octane tribute to the golden era of rock, packed with burning melodic riffs, fuzz-soaked guitars, and roaring, distorted Hammond organ. Lyrically focused on breaking free from societal expectations, the track hits with a driving pace and a heavy Deep Purple-esque mood. Combining raw retro flair with a sleek modern punch, it’s a killer, top-tier performance from start to finish.

Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and followAngstbadan if you like what you hear. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwMrbPTE5rsouHrWcoxZqlw
https://angstbadan.bandcamp.com/merch
https://www.instagram.com/angstbadan/
https://www.facebook.com/angstbadan

Palm Beach, Florida-based deathcore band Shinkaza premiere a new single titled "Azoic", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Tyler Shelton of Traitors guests on this particular track. Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Reykjavík, Iceland-based death metal band Devine Defilement premiere a new single and music video titled "J.E.F.F", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Marcus Jasak of Acranius guests on this particular track. Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Colorado-based thrash metal outfit Havok have premiered a music video for their brand new single “The Ultimate Weapon“. K. Hunter Lamar directed the clip, which arrives through the band’s latest label home, BLKIIBLK. The group collectively commented on the track: Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Dave Griffiths reviews Movements brand new album – Happier Now.