Hailing from Athens, Blame Kandinsky style themselves as the Greek lovechild of Botch and The Dillinger Escape Plan, and dropped their debut album Spotting Elegance back in 2017, before hitting some high-profile tours around Europe including a support slot with Cavalera Conspiracy.
Nuclear Blast Records have had a storming year, and they continue their hot streak with the release of Hell Is Where The Heart Is by Oceans. The four piece whose members hail from Berlin and Vienna released their debut EP Into The Void in 2019 followed by Cover Me In Darkness, a second EP in the same year featuring their interpretations of tracks from the likes of Alice In Chains, Deftones and Radiohead, before dropping their debut LP The Sun And The Cold in 2020.
Gaupa burst onto their native Sweden scene with their self-titled EP in 2018, and quickly built up a fine reputation and steady following in their home country. They released their full-length debut album Feberdrom in 2020 which caught the attention of Nuclear Blast Records, who added them to their roster of Swedish bands. But Gaupa certainly doesn’t fall into the typical “Metal” category that you might expect when looking at their label mates. In fact their roots sit firmly in the stoner rock genre, but on Myriad, their second LP and debut for their new label, they far exceed being pigeonholed into just one sound and have created a record befitting of its title, with a plethora of intriguing styles to be found within.
Black Veil Brides – The Mourning (Sumerian)
There’s an underlying belief that interim releases are merely disappointing cash-ins comprised mostly of filler and cast-off material. A strong title track usually followed by cover versions, demo versions, live cuts or songs simply not worthy to make it onto a full length record. A theory to which Hollywood based five piece Black Veil Brides clearly do not subscribe.
Architects have been a busy band indeed these last couple of years, and it was initially somewhat of a surprise when they announced the release of their tenth studio album so soon after 2021’s game-changing career-shift in style on For Those That Wish To Exist, and the records accompanying Abbey Road Live recording that was released earlier this year.
But with For Those That Wish To Exist providing the Brighton based band their first UK number one release, and a diminished touring cycle providing the increased opportunity for writing new material and hitting the studio, it actually makes sense that Architects are looking to capitalise and continue their momentum on the upward trajectory into the arena rock band they are becoming.
Scars For You To Remember (Fearless Records) is the third full-length album from a Philadelphia-based five-piece that has created an engaging slice of industrialized post-hardcore, that will find a willing audience from fans of Code Orange and the like. Varials spent six weeks together holed up in a remote mountain house writing, before locking down in the studio and recording with producer Jeff McKinnon (Broken Youth / Lasciate).
Nuclear Blast Records have been on somewhat of a roll recently, releasing big new albums from the likes of Machine Head, Soulfly, and Behemoth in recent weeks. But one of their lesser-known bands Irist certainly deserve some attention, and their new EP Gloria (Nuclear Blast) is the first new music they’ve released since their debut album Order Of The Mind arrived in 2020.
Survival Of The Sickest (Napalm Records) sees the return of Bloodbath, European death metal’s number one super-group, a band created in homage to the old school masters of the grisly art in 1998, by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nystrom of Katatonia, Mikael Akerfeldt of Opeth and Dan Swano (Edge Of Sanity).
Altered Pasts (Pure Noise) is the debut album from the Long Island based five-piece featuring ex-Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Billy Rymer, who also plays guitar on the record alongside his long-time friend Brian Sullivan. Rymer was inspired to pick his guitar back up and jam with Sullivan during his off time with Dillinger, dabbling once again with the instrument he had to put to one side to focus on his drumming during the height of their fame. Continue reading
The eighth album from the ultimate instrumental power trio of post-rock / post-metal, featuring guitar wizard Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz and ex-Botch / These Arms Are Snakes bassist Brian Cook, who currently also splits his time playing with Aaron Turner (ex-Isis) in Sumac (editor’s note: and maybe the potential Botch comeback too).Continue reading