Mostly Autumn - Bilston Review

As I mentioned in yesterday's post covering a strong showing from Ethyrfield here in Plymouth on Saturday, this past weekend I also headed up to Wolverhampton for yet more live music. I have said this quite often on this blog over the past few years, but Wolverhampton has become one of my favourite cities for live music of late - with both KK's Steel Mill and the refurbished Civic Hall complex providing the working class and very honest city with some top-class venues of their size. This was not always the case, though, as the Civic Hall was closed for a number of years for refurbishment - and KK's Steel Mill is a relatively new space, which took a little while to build up the excellent reputation that it now has. As such, Wolverhampton was a bit of a live music wasteland for a few years, and it was only really The Robin 2 in nearby Bilston that was providing quality live music to the Black Country. I think that the town of Bilston actually falls under the remit of the City of Wolverhampton Council these days - but as a historic town with its own identity The Robin 2 never quite feels like a product of Wolverhampton itself, despite its proximity. When travelling from Wolverhampton to the venue, though, I am not sure exactly where Wolverhampton stops and Bilston begins - but I am sure that proud Bilston residents know, and that is all that matters. Despite this, though, the triumvirate of KK's Steel Mill, the Civic Hall complex, and The Robin 2 makes for a powerful and busy Black Country hot-bed of live music - which is why I seem to spend so much time in Wolverhampton these days. The Robin 2 largely seems to cater for some of the bigger name tribute bands these days, but plenty of original acts still perform there - and one regular visitor is the York-based progressive rock seven-piece Mostly Autumn. Regular readers of this blog are likely sick of me going on about Mostly Autumn at this point - but as they are one of my very favourite bands they come up a lot. Historically, I have generally seen the band live multiple times a year - and they have often been quite prolific when it comes to new studio albums, meaning that there is often something to talk about when it comes Mostly Autumn. Sadly, though, unless the band surprise us with a new album release before 2026 is out, which is unlikely given that their last album Seawater (which I reviewed here) only dropped last year, this will likely be my only Mostly Autumn coverage this year. I will miss sadly the band's yearly trip to Devon in July, as I will be up in London catching Def Leppard and two Metallica shows over that weekend, so I cannot complain too much, and they have not, as yet in any case, announced a pre-Christmas show in Bilston - something which I have made the effort to attend over the past couple of years, as well as a handful of other times previously. Even if they were now to announce a pre-Christmas show it is unlikely that I would be able to make it due to being quite low on annual leave already - so I decided instead a few months ago to get to the band's June Bilston show instead. The band have been playing at the venue for years, always attract a healthy turnout, and it has become a real haunt in more recent years as they have scaled back on the venues which they regularly play. With the venue happy to open early on a Sunday, it also means that the last few shows I have been to there have finished at around 8pm - which makes getting back to Wolverhampton afterwards a real breeze. As such, after a quick wander around Wolverhampton, a Wetherspoons lunch, and a brief rest in my regular Premier Inn - it was time to catch the 79 bus to Bilston for another excellent afternoon/evening of live music.

5pm rolled around, and the now-familiar country-esque strains of Stefan's Hope rang around the venue as the seven members of Mostly Autumn took to the stage - but soon the synth intro of Tomorrow Dies replaced it, with the band soon attacking the upbeat rocker with venom. As is generally the case at The Robin 2, the sound mix was excellent. All of the levels were spot on, with each instrument clear in the mix, and frontwoman Olivia Sparnenn-Josh powered through the dancing synths and grooving drums of the set-opener. Setlist-wise, the songs played were similar to the setlists of last year - with a few tweaks. Six of the eight songs played live from Seawater remained, but a few older favourites, including Tomorrow Dies, returned. The band recently undertook a short tour of Germany for the first time in quite a while, and the setlist looked to be the same as the one played on that tour - presumably to give a better balance of material for those who likely had not seen the band before. As such, the decade-old Tomorrow Dies returned to kick things off, before the band went right back to their first album for the folk/AOR of Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes) - a sing-a-long number that pulls back on some of the band's progressive tendencies to deliver a hooky chorus and a more organic sound. This allowed Bryan Josh (vocals/guitar) to take the lead vocally for the first time, with the rest of the band harmonising during the chorus and the later fade-out. The symphonic metal-adjacent Western Skies later rounded out an opening trio of 'older' cuts - with the song building from its delicate piano and flute base, the latter courtesy of multi-instrumentalist Angela Gordon, to a full-blown metallic workout with driving symphonic keyboard riffs, hard rock guitars, and pounding drums from Henry Rogers. The songs from Seawater were largely held back for the second half of the show - but two of the best were showcased early on. The folky Why Do We Remember All the Rain really harks back to the early days of the band. Chris Johnson (vocals/guitar) backed the song with his acoustic guitar, whilst Sparnenn-Josh sang the song in a warmer manner to contrast her siren-like delivery of the previous song. Gordon also added plenty of whistle - with the song closing with a great instrumental jig. Future Is a Child, which followed, is likely Seawater's greatest cut - and the song deserves to be a setlist staple going forward. Josh and Sparnenn-Josh traded vocals throughout, the former taking the verses and the latter the chorus, but it is always the bridge section that moves me the most - before the band morphed into epic instrumental mode with a connecting flute solo and one of Josh's most searing guitar solos of the night. The rest of the first half of the show focused on older material. The slow-burning yet uplifting Passengers never feels too far from a Mostly Autumn setlist, and Sparnenn-Josh delivered it with real emotion as she has done since she took over the band's lead singer role in 2010. The spotlight was then turned over to Johnson for the first of three lead vocals from him - with his magnus opus Silver Glass winning over the crowd as it always does. His shimmering voice always gives the band something different - and the piano-led piece feels different from other similarly-arranged songs in the band's canon. Before the band took a break, there was time for one more, though, and a melancholic synth melody from Iain Jennings (keyboards) heralded the introduction of The Night Sky - a song which Josh often describes as the first that he wrote for the band. It has been great hearing it live again over the past couple of years, after a very lengthy absence from regular rotation - with the current arrangement featuring a lengthy flute workout from Gordon after the Pink Floyd-esque opening vocal section, before Josh's dynamic guitar solo. This solo contains perhaps my favourite individual lick that Josh has ever played - and hearing the song live is always an emotional moment.

The band's 20 minute break actually pushed to around half an hour, but when the lights went down again the crowd were well watered and toileted - and ready for more. There was a lot more focus on the now during the second half, but another very old song in the form of the bluesy, folky The Last Climb opened things up. The largely instrumental piece has come and gone from the set with regularity since Sparnenn-Josh became the lead singer - but she has not featured during recent arrangements, with Gordon instead singing the early harmonies alongside Josh's lead vocals, before launching into another lengthy flute solo. Hearing the song live always transports me back to what I imagine the band's early gigs were like, and Josh's bluesier solo in the song often feels a little different to his usual approach. Three new songs in a row followed, each taking on a different mood. Josh led the downbeat and emotional My Home, although a later instrumental section does feel a little more upbeat, and he again took the lead on the organic harder rock of Be Something - one of Seawater's more straight ahead pieces. Be Something has never been one of my favourite newer cuts, but hearing it live a few times now has made me more of a fan - as it has a strong sing-a-long vibe and positive message. Jennings was really belting out the lyrics during the song, too, and he seemed especially animated throughout the gig - often singing along and headbanging. He often used to seem quite reserved up there behind his bank of keyboards, but more recently he seems to have cut loose a bit - and he always seems to be having a great time up there on stage. Sparnenn-Josh then had her first real showcase of the second half with If Only for a Day - Seawater's big ballad. There was a lot of power in her delivery as always - and the song builds from its base with Jennings' piano and Sparnnen-Josh's vocals through to a whole-band arrangement with another big guitar solo. Back in These Arms then looked back one album, with the post-COVID anthem seemingly now a live staple. The synth-led intro also builds pleasingly live, before the folky melodies thanks to Gordon's whistle playing and the twin lead guitars of Josh and Johnson added plenty of positivity to the set. Josh always really gets into the chorus of the song live, and it is notable for the harmonising throughout by the band's two main singers. Into the Stars, another of the band's shorter, poppier pieces, was fun as always - but the song could likely do with being rested at this point (as could a couple of others in my opinion). As such, the next big highlight was Johnson's Changing Lives - a song which always adds something to the set despite also having been played live a lot in recent years. I think that Johnson's differing songwriting style mean that his songs provide a point of difference live in a way that a song like Into the Stars does not - although it would be fun to hear one of his other songs given a chance live, such as either The Undertow or a re-arranged version of Blue Light with him singing. There were only two songs left in the main set to go at this point, and one more new one in the form of a somewhat condensed When We Ran proved to be a real highlight (it is probably my second favourite song on the latest album) before the gargantuan White Rainbow, with the synth intro reinstated, rounded things out. There was time for a few more, though, and a three-song encore followed. Johnson and Gordon first took to stage alone, delivering a delicate version of Gaze. Various versions of this song have been played live over the years, but this version was one of the more stripped back - with Gordon adding delicate vocal harmonies and the occasional flute melody. It was the calm before the dramatic encore storm, though, with heartfelt renditions of both Heroes Never Die and Tonight rounding out what, by that point, had essentially been two and a half triumphant hours of music. The setlist was:

Tomorrow Dies

Nowhere to Hide (Close My Eyes)

Western Skies

Why Do We Remember All the Rain

Future Is a Child

Passengers

Silver Glass

The Night Sky

-

The Last Climb

My Home

Be Something

If Only for a Day

Back in These Arms

Into the Stars

Changing Lives

When We Ran

White Rainbow

-

Gaze

Heroes Never Die

Tonight

Mostly Autumn shows are always events, and I was pleased to get my 2026 live fix this past weekend. It is a real shame that this show will likely be my only experience of the band live this year, as I often get to multiple shows each year, but I am glad that I still managed to get to one - and The Robin 2 is always a great place to see them. With the Seawater material still riding high, too, the set felt current despite plenty of older favourites being included - and it was great to hear some of those songs live again as they entrench themselves in the canon.

Ethyrfield - Plymouth Review

I am not long back from another weekend away, and my next blog post on here will cover my trip to the Midlands to catch yet another Mostly Autumn gig, but before that adventure up to Wolverhampton I enjoyed some live music much more locally - as, on Saturday, I made the short walk up to The Junction on Plymouth's Mutley Plain to catch the Newton Abbot-based progressive metal act Ethyrfield playing their first gig of the year. For a while a few years ago, Ethyrfield seemed to be playing locally here in Plymouth pretty regularly. I saw them twice in quick succession at The Junction, opening for both Diamond Head and The Fallen State in 2021 - and I also saw them twice in 2018, this time at Livewire over in Saltash, opening for both Bad Touch and The Quireboys. The band, that had released EPs in both 2017 and 2019, released their debut album In Delirium (which I reviewed here) in 2021, too, so those latter two support slots were well-timed for me - as I enjoyed In Delirium quite a bit when it dropped earlier that year. I am still not familiar with the band's EPs, although I picked up the Black Sky compilation at this show which contains both on one CD, but In Delirium impressed - and I enjoyed revisiting it last week in the lead-up to Saturday's show. Ethyrfield, a three-piece, mix Alice in Chains-esque grunge, particularly in their approach to vocal harmonies, with progressive metal - but the denser end of the progressive metal genre. Ethyrfield do not sound like Dream Theater or Symphony X - but there are certainly shades of the more recent output from Opeth, as well as bands like King's X. Not everything the band does is dense and complex, though, and there is plenty of melody throughout - as well as a few songs which are very much Alice in Chains inspired that are far less progressive. Since 2021, though, I had barely given the band a thought. Over the past few years they have undertaken a number of support slots and have played more further afield, but, at least as far as I was aware, they have not played in Plymouth since those shows that I mentioned. The band are young, and have likely been juggling band activities with studying, work, and other commitments, but it was a shame that Plymouth went so long without seeing Ethyrfield live. I was under the impression, too, that in more recent times they took a bit of a break from playing live to write and record their second album. I am not sure if this album has been recorded yet, but the band certainly now have plenty of new material - as the setlist of this show can attest. Clearly getting cabin fever and wanting to get back out there and play a show, a few weeks ago the band announced that they would be returning The Junction, this time as a headliner, where they would be previewing a lot of new material from album number two. No advanced tickets were sold, with the show being £5.00 on the door - which felt very old-school. Two Plymouth-based bands that I had heard of but had never seen live were on the bill, too, so the night was very much one of South West-based metal with lots of local talent on display. The overall turnout was decent, but given how cheap it was to get in and it being a Saturday night I had expected a few more to turn up - but I imagine that the bands were pleased with the effort made by those that turned up.

The first of the two support acts were Manipulated, who were the least interesting of the two in my opinion. I have seen the band described as thrash, and there were some thrashy moments in their set, but much of their material was quite mid-paced - so I am not sure that thrash is the best descriptor for them. There was not enough speed and energy throughout for me to consider them thrash - and they came across as a competent, but perhaps lacking in a spark, crunchy heavy metal band. Some of the riffs were quite memorable, and vocally they were largely decent with a mix of mostly gritty clean vocals with occasional harsh vocals, but the overall songwriting largely lacked for me. A couple of days on, none of the choruses have stuck with me - and this is usually a sign that a band is not really for me. I do remember thinking that the last couple of songs in the set felt a bit stronger, with better choruses and a stronger overall arrangement, but there was little else that really stood out. There is certainly some potential when it comes to Manipulated, then, but, for me, the songwriting just is not really there - and that is a key thing when it comes to hooking me in. I also felt that the drummer seemed to be quite rudimentary - and a more technical drummer may have helped to flesh out the arrangements and pick up the pace somewhat. Their half an hour or so on stage did not outstay its welcome, though, and the band received a fairly warm reception - which is always nice to see.

Up next were Stealth Moose, a five-piece band with a bit of a sense of humour (there were some pretty amusing t-shirts for sale) that played a brand of metal that included plenty of grunge, sludge, and stoner influences. At times they reminded me a little of early Orange Goblin, whereas other times they sounded like something Mastodon might come up with of they dropped most of their progressive leanings. The band's sound was riffy, bass-driven, and largely pretty heavy, then, but there were a few decent choruses to be found - and vocally the band were powerful, both thanks to their frontman and their use of harmonies. Whilst there was not a significant progressive influence to be found in the band's sound, all of their songs were on the longer side. This was largely, though, due to the slower pace that the band tended to operate in - as well as that stoner tendency of settling in on a groove for a while and just letting it do its thing. There were a lot of grooves in the band's songs, then, both from the riffs of the two guitarists and the bass playing. The bass was often quite high in the mix, and it utilised distortion to give the band a real growl, whilst the guitars were a bit more chunky and bluesy in their tone. Traditional guitar soloing was fairly rare, but there was the occasional solo - whilst other instrumental sections seemed to be a bit more discordant. I think that it is fair to say, then, that Stealth Moose were often doing something a bit different. Not all of it connected with me, but there were moments that did - and the band interacted well with the crowd, especially as there seemed to be a few Stealth Moose fans in attendance.

'Local bands' often have something of a stigma attached to then, even though essentially every band is one at some point, but I think that it is fair to say that Ethyrfield are a step above the average - and the three-piece deserve to make something of themselves in the rock and metal scenes. Following the two support acts, for the next hour-plus, the band delivered a confident 12-song setlist - largely made up of songs from album number two. Four songs from In Delirium were played, alongside one cover, so that meant that seven new numbers were played - and the new material often felt quite a bit different from what came before. One thing that was noticeable from the start, and the delicate intro piece Let This Dream, was that guitarist Ben Cornish has taken on more of a vocal role on this new material. Bassist Zach Cornish remains the lead singer, and Ben always played an important role as a harmony vocalist - but the latter sang some lead this time, including throughout this first number, as well as adding some occasional harsh vocals. Let This Dream and Follower seemed like a part one and part two - with the former being gentle and the latter being heavier and more typical of the band's core sound. I would say that the grunge element of Ethyrfield's previous work was largely absent from the newer material - with more of a progressive metal sound entrenched, as well as a bit more synth work to give the songs depth. Thankfully, the band left a setlist laying around so I was able to make a note of the song titles, and it was Reverie up next that perhaps impressed the most. It was the first time the song had been played live, and the lengthy number was a true prog juggernaut - with some harsh vocals utilised later on and plenty of guitar soloing. Many of the songs started slowly, with clean guitars and synths, but soon transitioned into heavy, riffy pieces with snaking grooves and plenty going on. Phantom later on was another such lengthy piece, but some of the new songs also showcased a more melodic and straight forward sound - such as the somewhat atmospheric and darker Long Drive Home. Some of the vocal harmonies from the band's first album were put to good use her, a little of that grunge influence creeping back in, and it was fitting that the riffy and hard-driving older cut The Hunter followed. It was good to hear some of the older songs, but really it was the new material that impressed the most. Egomania was perhaps the one played that did not do all that much for me on first listen - but Vanished later on was another strong cut with plenty of twists and turns. The ending portion of the set was extra progressive, then, with Vanished and Phantom preceded by Laying On of Hands - likely the most progressive number from In Delirium. It is clear that the band want to go in a more technical and heavy direction - and much of the new material worked well for me in that regard. They then ended their set with a powerful version of Gojira's Stranded, which allowed Ben to deliver some more harsh vocals - whilst drummer Dan Aston was put to the test thanks to Gojira's notorious grooves. The setlist was:

Let This Dream

Follower

Reverie

Remembering

Long Drive Home

The Hunter

Overgrown

Egomania

Laying On of Hands

Vanished

Phantom

Stranded [Gojira cover]

It has been five years since Ethyrfield's first album, so their second one somewhat feels overdue. Given the strength of the new material on show this past weekend, though, it should be a pretty special one when it is done - and I am looking forward to giving it a listen when it is ready. It was good to see the band live again after so long, too, and it was a nice local night out before my trip to the Midlands the next day.

Frozen Soul's 'No Place of Warmth' - Album Review

It feels like time to cover some proper extreme metal again. A couple of years ago I made more of an effort to cover death metal on this blog, as it had rarely featured here up to that point, but that effort has dropped off more in recent times. I do like death metal, but it makes up quite a small portion of my overall listening habits - and it remains a genre that I am just not all that knowledgeable about outside of the big names. I am casually familiar with a lot of death metal bands, and my knowledge rarely moves beyond such - but there are times where I end up making a bit more of an effort and I start to expand my death metal collection. Today's band is one such example - and I discovered them earlier this year when I saw them live. That band is the Texas-based five-piece Frozen Soul - an old-school-sounding death metal band that play the sort of chunky, groovy, classic-sounding death metal that I tend to like. I generally like death metal that essentially sounds like a much heavier version of traditional heavy metal or thrash - with the more intricate and chaotic end of the genre often not for me. It was likely this sound which helped Frozen Soul stand out on a seven-band bill that I caught in London earlier this year. The mammoth evening, which kicked off at 4:30pm, was the result of two metal gigs that had been booked in London on the same night joining forces - meaning that all seven bands that were scheduled to appear over the two bills all appeared on the one enlarged bill. This sounds like a bit of a crazy idea, and it made for a long night, but I got the impression that both shows were not selling too well due to the competition - alongside the fact that Deftones were also playing at one of the city's larger venues. The night was topped by Sylosis, and included well-known acts Heaven Shall Burn and The Black Dahlia Murder, but there were a handful of smaller bands that I was not familiar with that played early on in the evening. Following a decent hardcore band, alongside a deathcore band that did nothing whatsoever for me, Frozen Soul came on third and seemed to turn up the heat. It likely helped that there were a few more people in the room by the time they came on, as the early start meant that the venue took a little while to fill up. As such, I was impressed by Frozen Soul's set. I did not really know anything about the band before seeing them live, but their crunchy, largely mid-paced death metal sound was fun and filled the room - and there was a good atmosphere during their set, with some of the evening's first proper mosh pits getting underway. I have since heard 2023's Glacial Domination, the band's second album, a couple of times - but when I saw that they would be releasing a new album later in 2026 I thought it would be suitable to use it to dive in properly. Last month, then, this third album arrived - with No Place of Warmth being Frozen Soul's first album for three years. Unlike the last album, which was co-produced by Trivium's Matt Heafy, No Place of Warmth was produced by Josh Schroeder - who is probably most-known currently for working with deathcore darlings Lorna Shore. This is a very well-produced album, meaning that the riffs feel very heavy - but there remains an organic sound befitting the band's old-school death metal sound. The drums do not sound too processed as they often can on extreme metal albums, whilst there is space in the arrangements to allow the songs to breathe - which is not something that could be said about Schroeder's production jobs for Lorna Shore.

There a couple of quite big-name guest vocalists that appear here, too, so it feels like Frozen Soul are moving up in the world. In truth, they have been on a big label for a while and Heafy's aforementioned involvement was a similar big-name involvement - but it feels like only a matter of time before Frozen Soul become more widely known in the metal world. Those guest vocalists are all utilised early on, too, but only one really stands out. Kicking off with its title track, No Place of Warmth gets off to a strong start. Cold synths shimmer as the song fades into view, creating an unsettling sound, but Frozen Soul are not a keyboard band - and these synths are just utilised as an intro to the riffing that follows. Tolling bells soon give way to the first of the album's riffs, a snaking, mid-paced effort that creates a slow-moving groove early on. Despite being a proper death metal band, there is still melody to be found here. Lead guitarist Chris Bonner lays down some mournful leads during the verses - which see mid-paced chugs backed by some slightly faster double bass drumming from Matt Dennard. The song never feels all that fast despite this drumming, though, with the song largely lumbering along in classic death metal fashion - whilst frontman Chad Green barks the lyrics. He might not have the biggest range vocally, but his deep growls really suit the band's sound - and his tough verse delivery is filled with power. Following a busier guitar solo section later, which is more measured and melodic than shredded, the most prominent guest vocalist in the form of Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance) joins in - adding some black metal-esque rasps to the song. Way had previously shown his extreme metal side on Ibaraki's Rashomon (which I reviewed here) - and he dominates the later parts of this song, either singing alone or with Green. Invoke War then follows a similar sound, continuing a fairly mid-paced sound with something of a chugging stop-start riff early on, which is backed by more double bass drumming. Green bellows the song's title early on, creating something of an early chorus, but later verses feel a bit groovier thanks to a simpler drum arrangement and more varied riffing - with Bonner and fellow guitarist Michael Munday switching things up. This song is a bit more varied pace-wise, too, with some faster sections coming in later on. It never really feels like thrash or truly fast-paced, but there is some more energy that kicks in as the song moves on - with flashier riffing and a bit more of Dennard's fast footwork. Robb Flynn (Forbidden; Vio-lence; Machine Head) appears, after also featuring in my last review here, delivering some gnarly spoken word towards the end of the song - and then duets a little with Green as the song comes to a close. Absolute Zero is a very short song, which opens with some intense drumming - which gives the impression that the song is going to be a fast number. Whilst there are some short blast beat-led sections, much of the song is actually quite lumbering - with the piece a contrast between very slow and much faster riffs. It only lasts for just under a minute, though, so there is little to write home about here.

Dreadnought slows the pace right down, and goes for a very slow-moving and groovy sound - with shout-along chorus vocals and a good mix of somewhat doomy riffs and some old-school death metal mid-paced grooves. There is a stronger bass presence here, too, with Samantha Mobley opening the song with a powerful bass riff - and there are bass-led breaks throughout the song, too. This helps the slow-moving sound to settle in, whilst a brief, shredded guitar solo does add some later energy. The final guest vocalist in the form of Devin Swank (Limbsplitter; Sanguisugabogg; Earthburner) is included here, too, although I am not sure exactly what he brings to the song - perhaps some of the raspier growls that can be heard during parts of the song. The transition to Chaos Will Reign is obvious, as the band immediately start to up the pace - with some faster double-bass drumming kicking in early on, giving the early parts of the song a somewhat thrashier feel. Despite this initial speed, though, the band largely rein in the pace - with the song, on the whole, being another mid-paced number. Old-school death metal generally operates the best at this pace, to allow the grooves of the riffs and the slow-moving vocals to shine - but this is a song which switches up the pace somewhat, with occasional blast beats shaking things up despite the core of the song being slower. That mix of double bass drumming and slow-to-change riffing is another feature of big parts of the song - whilst a later breakdown section feels a bit doomy with some much slower riffing and a bit more of a bass presence. Eyes of Despair immediately feels faster, with a slightly more anthemic riff that has more than a shade of hardcore kicking things off, as Dennard uses various drum breaks and fills to build an early excitement. An opening, shredded, guitar solo is something a bit different for the band, with Bonner laying down some chaotic, fast-paced lead playing early on, and the rest of the song maintains a faster overall pace. This is certainly much more of an energetic piece, with some thrashy riffs and punkier drumming often dominating - whilst the blast beat sections utilised here are a bit longer and feel more impactful as a result. There is a lot more pace and energy throughout this song, then, and Green's vocal melodies feel a little more anthemic at times - building on that early hardcore influence. Ethereal Dreams opens in a similar manner to the album's title track, with some cold synths fading in to set the tone - before some more percussive drumming creates something of a groove, before the band launch into a faster, more chaotic sound that, at times, seems to borrow a little from black metal. The early riffing has a nastier, buzzsaw guitar tone - with some screaming shredded leads backing up this harsher sound. The early moments of this song are a bit different from the rest of the album, then, but when things settle into a more familiar groove the core Frozen Soul sound returns. Despite this, there is a bit more of an intense and harsh sound here. The drumming is generally busier and faster this time, and there is less reliance on fat, groovy riffs - with speed more of a feature. The riffs just feel a little less defined here, which is different from the band's usual sound - which does help this song to stand out from the crowd. Speaking of black metal, there is a section later on which features muffled vocals and some strange riffing which returns to those influences somewhat - before a riff that is much more typical of the band's core sound takes over to bring things to a close.

Skinned by the Wind is another short song, but this one is a little longer than Absolute Zero - and it is largely just the band's core sound distilled down into a snapshot. It is a groovy, mid-paced number with chunky riffing, deep growls, and some double bass drumming - so really there is little to say about it. Deathweaver opens a little more slowly, with a building riff that allows the band to evolve a little beneath it - with some interesting drumming and a few false starts before the song gets going. Overall, the song's intro is quite long, which is rare for the band. It speeds up later on, but the opening feels quite doomy, with some sluggish riffs and even a feature guitar solo section that includes some more melancholic leads. It seems as if the song is going to be more of a doom anthem, then, but once the double bass drums kick in in a big way the song does speed up - and the band's usual mid-paced sound is restored. Some of the verses here feel a little faster than is typical, but there is still plenty of groove here - with the double bass drumming bringing the best out of the groovy guitar patterns. The doomy feel of the song's opening is returned to later on, though, with some slower riffing, backed by a strong bass presence, taking over as Green delivers the lyrics in a slow and menacing way. Frost Forged ups the pace, and feels like a much more intense song from the off. All of the doom trappings from the previous song are stripped away - and those hardcore influences that were heard earlier on in the album return somewhat. The song is not all that anthemic, but the riffing has a little more of a slamming feel at times, with hardcore-esque grooves and more of a focus on vocal melodies. Blast beats are utilised again for speed, and there are some much faster than is typical moments here, but generally the band's typical groovy approach is retained - with a good mix of double bass drumming and simpler grooves to bring the best out of the riffing. There is a lot of groove here as a result, and there are some moments that feel a bit more overtly hooky, more in the sense of how the guitars and drums link up rather than anything that is being delivered vocally. The song is a powerful one, then, and its much heavier closing minute or so really aids this feeling. The album then comes to a close with much more up-tempo Killin' Time (Until It's Time to Kill), a much more anthemic and energetic piece that mixes more of a thrash attitude with a core death metal sound. As such, there are much faster moments here throughout, and pace is a bit more of focus this time. This is the case during the verses in any case, which speed along with more of a carefree attitude, but a more groovy approach does return for the chorus - which is quite the shout-along moment. It may be the album's most overtly hooky chorus, and I can see it really working well live as a crowd shouts along with the main lyrics. This is not a vibe that the band go for too often here, but it works well in my opinion - and there is also another memorable guitar solo with some shredded, yet fairly melodic, leads. Structure-wise, then, this song feels a bit more typical metal with strong verses and a memorable chorus, but the band's core sound is still very much here - and the fists-in-the-air number is a great way to close out the album. Death metal may not always be my thing, but there is a lot to like about Frozen Soul and I think that No Place of Warmth feels like a very well-crafted, memorable, and well-produced album. The songs here generally do stand out, and there is enough variety whilst sticking to core sound which means that no one song really outstays its welcome. I am not convinced that the guests add too much, aside from Way, but this aside the album is likely to be one of death metal's key releases of 2026.

The album was released on 8th May 2026 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for No Place of Warmth.

Black Veil Brides' 'Vindicate' - Album Review

It feels like a long time since I thought much about, let alone wrote about, the Hollywood-based five-piece Black Veil Brides. Despite considering myself a fan of the band that mix mid-2000s emo, mid-2000s metalcore, and 1980s hair metal to good effect, I do not think that I have really listened to any of their albums all that much since I reviewed their last album, 2021's The Phantom Tomorrow (which can be read here), five years ago. In truth, this has been something of a trend for me when considering Black Veil Brides over the past decade or so. I started off as quite a big fan, and got into them around the time that their debut album We Stitch These Wounds came out in 2010. I really liked their next couple of albums, too, and even saw them live in 2014, but I am not sure that my genuine fandom of the band continued past this point. I remember the show being enjoyable, but I was very much one of the oldest there even back in 2014 - and I could never quite shake the feeling that Black Veil Brides were a band aimed at teenagers, and I, in my early/mid 20s at the time, was far too old for them. Clearly such notions are stupid, and anyone is entitled to enjoy any band - but it certainly did not feel that way at the time. Also, though, I just happen to think that the band's first three albums are their strongest. We Stitch These Wounds mixed metalcore and a 1980s sheen nicely; whilst 2011's Set the World on Fire was packed with anthems - and cemented my view that the band were just a 1980s hair metal band in disguise. Their third album, 2013's more expansive Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones (which I reviewed here - one of the first albums I covered on this blog), felt like the one where everything came together - and the concept album continued on the early influences whilst going for a more bombastic and mature sound. For me, nothing that the band has done since has really lived up to those three albums - with the three following albums, whilst all enjoyable to an extent, failing to really live up to that early promise. The band have always tried to keep things interesting, and each subsequent album has still managed to have its own identity - but nothing has felt as exciting as those early releases. Despite all the praise I have given those three albums, though, I cannot remember the last time I listened to any of them. Perhaps I am due a reappraisal of their catalogue, but over the past decade I have tended to only listen to Black Veil Brides when a new albums drops. I listen to the new album, enjoy it for what it is without being blown away, review it, and then put it away - never really to listen to it again. I then repeat the whole exercise a few years later when the next album drops - and that is something that I have been doing over the past month or so as last month Black Veil Brides released album number seven: Vindicate. Vindicate is their first album in five years - and it will be interesting to see if this is the one to break the recent cycle. As things stand, probably not, but that does not mean that I have not been enjoying it. Black Veil Brides have a very distinct sound, largely thanks to frontman Andy Biersack's voice. He does not have the greatest range, but his tone and approach to melody is quite distinct - and he can also deliver harsh vocals when he needs to. Those harsh vocals were utilised quite liberally earlier in the band's career, but they have been somewhat lacking of late. They return in a bit more of a prominent form on Vindicate, though, and this album is likely the band's heaviest for a while. It is certainly a more aggressive album, which the band opted to self-produce this time, and that does help to set it apart from some of the others.

Like many of the band's albums, Vindicate appears to be a concept album - although I am not sure what story it is telling. It is their second album with their current line-up, too, although the core of the band, apart from bassist Lonny Eagleton, has remained the same since album number two. As is typical of the band's approach, too, this is quite a theatrical album in terms of sequencing. There are 14 tracks here, but quite a few are on the short side - with some being instrumental interludes or other such linking pieces. It is only just over 45 minutes long, then, so none of the songs stick around for any real length of time. The opening track Invocation to the Muse is one of the smaller pieces - opening with dense church organ, before Biersack delivers a spoken word monologue to set the scene. Aside from the initial organ and some swirling atmospherics behind Biersack there is little to note musically here - and it is largely just a spoken word piece. The album really gets going with its title track, then, when the band kick in. Some dancing strings open the track, but some stabbing guitars back Biersack's opening vocal lines - before a chaotic thrashy riff and drum pattern take over. This initial intensity is likely the heaviest the band has ever sounded, but much of the song remains typical of their core sound. Parts of the verse feel thrashy, with buzzsaw riffing and Christian Coma's fast double bass drumming, but the chorus has that melancholic, anthemic sound that Black Veil Brides are known for - with some hooky vocal melodies that are easy to latch onto. It is one of a few big choruses on this album and it draws the listener in from the off - and it is contrasted by a later bridge section that features some Pantera-esque groovy riffing and harsh vocals, before Jake Pitts launches into a big guitar solo. Certainty follows, which also opens with some strings, but following this low key intro a mid-paced groovy riff kicks in - and that heaviness which characterises much of the album is showcased here. There is a bit of a modern tech metal feel about some of the riffing during this song, whilst Coma's drumming underneath the stabbing and groovy guitars changing the tone as his patterns shift. The verses often make use of harsh vocals, so there is a bit of a metalcore feel to parts of this song, especially thanks to some interlocking guitar riffing between Pitts and fellow guitarist Jinxx, but the chorus is another slightly more anthemic moment - with HIM-like vocal hooks and more of a dense atmosphere. I like how this album often shifts back and forth between more metallic and more hard rock modes - and there is a good balance between intensity and melody. Bleeders, a song which has been kicking around online since 2024, opens with dense piano notes and Biersack singing in a deeper manner against this backing - whilst some programmed drum beats are slowly added into the mix. The track is one that builds fairly slowly, then, so when the main riffing kicks in its power is felt. Even when the band kick in proper, though, later verses still feel quite low key - with more percussive drumming and a synth backing adding a depth that allows the guitar riffing that kicks in later to feel more powerful. Wordless, anthemic backing vocals really add to the chorus - whilst a heavier later bridge section includes some brief moments of harsh vocals.

Hallelujah is another pretty heavy song overall, with some fast-paced drumming early on and a riff that mixes thrash and metalcore vibes providing some headbanging grooves. This mix of intense riffing with the band's more melodic vocal approach is a bit of a theme of this album, and this song is a real feast of groovy and thrashy riffing - with the band speeding up and slowing down as the song moves along, whilst Biersack liberally makes use of harsh vocals during the toughest moments. The chorus is quite poppy, though, with the contrast perhaps being more stark than usual - but the melodies are hooky, even if the melodies remind me a little of Paramore's song of the same name. Cut sees the band slow things down quite considerably and deliver more of a melodic, mid-paced rock track with ballad-like tendencies. Singer-songwriter, and Biersack's wife, Lilith Czar sings with Biersack throughout - although the track opens with Biersack singing alone, against a more atmospheric backing including some violin from Jinxx. Despite the slower vibe, the song never feels like a true ballad due to the big band arrangement throughout - and the fact that the chorus is hard-hitting with busy Coma drumming, snappy guitar riffing, and a dense overall arrangement. There is still quite a bit of energy in the song, then, despite some slower moments - but there is still quite a bit of guitar crunch, and no-one seemed to tell Coma he could pull back a bit. Czar adds a lot to the song from the second verse onwards with her melodic vocals - and later chorus renditions benefit from the two singers singing together. Pitts' later guitar solo is a soaring one, too, adding to the song's overall melodic pull. Alive gets back to a much heavier sound from the off, with a fast-paced riff kicking in and harsh vocal-led verses a key feature of the song. All of the subtlety of the previous song has been stripped out here, and instead the band just deliver a powerful metalcore-adjacent anthem with heavy verses and a more melodic chorus - very typical of that mid-2000s sound. Biersack's harsh vocals are probably the best they have ever sounded on this album, and it is good that he uses them so liberally here - with the verses, alongside a later breakdown section, sounding pretty venomous. The chorus is another pretty soaring one, too, especially as it speeds up towards the end and adds in some hooky wordless vocal melodies. Purgatory (Overture IIII) is an instrumental interlude, and it acts as something of a break following the fast-paced and heavier previous number - with slow-moving strings and delicate piano melodies providing a couple of minutes of respite before the band crash back in. Black Veil Brides have often utilised good string arrangements, and this album is no different, and the interlude sets things up nicely for Revenger. Robb Flynn (Forbidden; Vio-lence; Machine Head) contributes vocals to the song - and he possibly shows up elsewhere on the album, too, despite this being the only song he is credited as appearing on. A big growl opens things up, but the main lead guitar melody early on is very memorable - and it certainly recalls the band's 1980s influences nicely. The song as a whole is not very 1980s-coded, though, despite a hooky chorus kicking in later, as the verses are essentially harsh vocal battles between Biersack and Flynn. Biersack really shows his diversity as a harsh vocalist during the first verse, delivering some pretty interesting screams, whilst Flynn later bellows his way in his trademark style through the second verse. The latter's 1990s groove metal approach works well given the heaviness of the piece and some of the riffs that have featured on the album - even if the later chorus is packed with the band's classic melancholic hooks.

Sorrow reins in some of the intensity somewhat, opening with some distant melodic vocals, before the song morphs into much more of a mid-paced, crunching track. The chugging guitar riffing here is a bit more typical of the band's other more recent albums, and the metallic intensity of the rest of this album is largely absent here. The sense of groove is retained, though, thanks to some excellent and fairly prominent bass playing during the verses, whilst Biersack sticks to his clean vocals throughout - which especially shine during a poppier chorus that ends with some effects-heavy vocal hooks. Grace (Interlude), as the name suggests, is another brief instrumental piece - this time focusing on Jinxx's violin playing against a sombre piano backing. It feels like the intro to the last three songs which feel something like one longer suite - with Ava Maria kicking off the home straight. Given the violin-based intro, one might expect the song to feel a bit more grand - but Ava Maria is another fast-paced and quite thrashy song. The intensity of the album's core sound is back here after being somewhat left out of the previous song - with the interlocking guitar riffing and busy drumming that has often characterised this album returning. Biersack largely sticks to his clean vocals, though, despite the heaviness - although there are some heavier, mid-verse sections that feature harsh vocals for a brief period. These sections allow the song to have more of a dynamic overall feeling, which works nicely, whilst Pitts' later guitar solo is one of the album's best and longest in my opinion - thanks to some great neo-classical melodies. Woe & Pain follows, which slows the pace - transitioning from the riffing of the previous song to focus more on a piano-based sound. Ringing piano melodies and a muted, industrial drum groove back Biersack's vocals early on - whilst occasional guitar stabs add colour. The early parts of this song are quite atmospheric and low key, then, but things do get heavier as the song progresses - with riffs later kicking in and a dramatic spoken word section taking over. At times it sounds like Flynn is doing this monologue - but I am not 100% sure. The liner notes only credit him with appearing on Revenger, but some online sources suggest he appears on quite a few of the album's later songs. Occasional growls could be him, or him backing Biersack, as could this spoken word section - but overall it is not that clear and the liner notes are quite sparse sadly. Either way, though, the spoken word feels quite dramatic, more intense than how the album opened, before another pretty lengthy guitar solo from Pitts is thrown in. This song is a bit different structure-wise, then, but it works well in my opinion - especially as the closing four tracks feel like something of a suite. It is the last song that goes for riffing and heaviness, too, but it never reaches the heaviness heights of many of the other tracks here - with more of a dramatic overall feel thanks to the strings and the monologuing. Eschaton is the closing track, then, but it is a short piece that essentially acts as a coda. Again, it is based around piano and strings for the most part - with Biersack singing in a mournful manner. It is under two minutes long so it does not stick around - and it essentially feels like an extension of the previous song, to bring the album to a calm and more emotive close. Overall, then, Vindicate does feel quite a bit different from the band's other more recent efforts. The focus on a heavier sound is welcome and, whilst it never approaches extreme metal, the energy throughout does help to set the album apart. As such, the album feels a bit more vital than other more recent albums from the band - and it could well be my favourite since Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones thanks to this heavier overall approach.

The album was released on 8th May 2026 via Spinefarm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Certainty.

Draconian's 'In Somnolent Ruin' - Album Review

My last handful of album reviews have covered quite a lot of ground within the metal genre. We covered primal melodic death metal with At the Gates, a modern taken on traditional heavy metal with Elegant Weapons, and scrappy proto-black/speed metal with Venom. Those who say that all metal sounds the same clearly are just not paying attention, then, and we are going to stick with metal today - and, true to form, this band take their metal in a different direction again. Today's subject, then, are the Swedish gothic, death/doom legends Draconian - a band that has been playing their majestic and sweeping brand of doom since the early 1990s. Whilst they did not release their first album until 2003, a number of well-respected demos by early line-ups of the band dropped in the 1990s - meaning that Draconian were really at the coalface when the death/doom genre was largely being pioneered in the UK by bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema. Unlike those bands that largely focused on the doom, alongside a strong gothic atmosphere, Draconian are much more death-coded. Those UK bands all have releases that have plenty of death metal in them - but Draconian feel like much more of a genuine extreme metal band, albeit one that mixes in plenty of melody, atmosphere, and majesty into their oppressive, heavy, and melancholic sound. Led from the off by harsh vocalist and lyricist Anders Jacobsson and drummer-turned-lead guitarist Johan Ericson, Draconian have had a pretty consistent sound from the off - and were one of the bands in the gothic and death/doom spheres that pioneered the 'beauty and the beast' sound that was often popular during the 2000s - with harsh male vocals and clean ethereal female vocals mixing together to form a pleasing contrast and to ensure some light and shade. This trend is perhaps less popular than it once was, but Draconian have essentially stuck to this approach since launching properly in the 2000s - and they remain one of the best and most recognised exponents of such a sound. Despite this praise, though, this is my first time covering Draconian. I have been aware of the band for years, having picked up 2006's The Burning Halo over 15 years ago. It did not do much for me at the time, though, and it is easy to see why in hindsight. Given that the album was a mix of new songs, re-recorded songs from the band's demos, and covers, it was never going to be a good entry point - and I essentially did not listen to the band again until I picked up 2005's Arcane Rain Fell a few years ago. I enjoyed that album more, but it did not prompt me to go out and get the rest - although I have remained somewhat interested in the band since. A new album, then, seemed like a reason to give the band yet another go - so I pre-ordered eighth album In Somnolent Ruin when it was announced earlier this year after enjoying one of the pre-release singles. In Somnolent Ruin is the band's first album for six years, following 2020's Under a Godless Veil, and it marks quite a change line-up wise. In one sense, it is a reunion album - as it is the first since 2011's A Rose for the Apocalypse to feature co-lead vocalist Lisa Johansson, who returned to the band in 2022 following a decade away. It is also the first album since long-time rhythm guitarist Daniel Arvidsson switched to playing bass in 2022; as well as the first album to feature both his replacement on guitar Niklas Nord (Gallows End; DeathTrap) and drummer Daniel Johansson (Wormwood; Aspernamentum), who came on board in 2022 and 2025 respectively. As such, this is the band's first album without long-time drummer Jerry Torstensson.

Despite all the changes, though, and as far as I am aware given my relative lack of knowledge, Draconian's core sound is very much intact here. Jacobsson and Ericson have always been the band's driving forces - and having Lisa back on board following two albums with Heike Langhans, and a passing-of-the-torch show which featured both ladies, gives In Somnolent Ruin homecoming vibes. As if to reinforce this homecoming, the opening track I Welcome Thy Arrow starts slowly - putting Lisa front and centre straight away. The tolling of a bell and swirling, cold synths set a spooky tone as the album creeps into view, but soon Lisa starts to sing in a gentle and ethereal manner - with occasional clean guitar melodies behind her. This first vocal section is brief and scene-setting, though, as as soon as she sings the song title the rest of the band crash in - and the first slow-moving riff kicks in, over which Ericson lays down a mournful guitar lead. There is a lot of melody throughout this album despite its heaviness - and this song is a really good mix of all of the band's sounds. After this initial riff, Jacobsson is introduced for the first time, his deep and heavy growls powerful against the heavy backing. His harsh vocals are pure death metal in tone, but the slow-moving riffing and the groovier approach to drumming removes the typical death metal attack from the band's sound. The fact that clean guitar-led sections are regularly included, too, ensures that the song has a real mix of light and shade - with Jacobsson dominating during the heavier section before Lisa returns to add her magical vocals over mournful clean guitars, keyboards, and percussive drumming. I really like how the song constantly moves back and forth between these two vibes, and further melody is latter added by Ericson via a soaring and heartfelt guitar solo. This solo marks something of a turning point, too, as what follows is a bit different with a hypnotic riff coming in and the two vocalists trading vocal lines as the song moves towards an atmospheric conclusion. The Monochrome Blade dispenses with the quiet opening of the previous number, kicking off instead with another slow-moving, yet melodic, guitar riff - which morphs into a typical metal chug when Jacobsson starts to growl. He dominates the early parts of the song, with an extended first verse seeing plenty of harsh vocals - against both the chugging background and then a repurpose version of the opening riff. Later verses are shorter, and largely focused around the opening riff, whilst Lisa takes over for a much more melancholic chorus - with delicate and low-volume clean vocals sitting against chiming guitar melodies. Later chorus renditions are more expansive, though, with Lisa pushing herself a bit more vocally, going for a more siren-like approach, whilst Jacobsson adds subtle backing growls to give them a real boost. Lisa generally sounds more full-bodied throughout this song, aside from during the initial parts of the chorus. She can rock out as well as be delicate - and a later section which features her vocals here is heavier, to allow for a more powerful delivery. Anima completes a trio of really strong opening cuts, and goes for a bit of a different vibe with regular collaborator Daniel Änghede (Astroqueen; Hearts of Black Science; Crippled Black Phoenix; Ison) adding clean vocals to the song. Änghede has sung for the band before, as well as played bass, both live and in the studio when they were without a permanent bass player, so is long a part of the Draconian family - and his slightly monotone, atmospheric clean vocals mesh really well with Lisa's early on. Jacobsson is featured much less here, although he does join in later on, but generally this song is a duet between Änghede and Lisa - with chiming clean guitars and monolithic riffs forming a dense soundscape for the two voices. The song is perhaps less heavy than is often the case for Draconian, but there is still plenty of weight here - as well as some excellent lead guitars from Ericson. Sound-wise, the song reminds me a little of late 1990s/early 2000s Anathema - but after Ericson's shredded solo and some double bass drums kick in some true death metal takes over and Jacobsson pushes the clean vocal dominance aside.

The Face of God gets back to something much more typical of Draconian's core sound, with a hooky early riff that sets off at a slow pace - over which Lisa starts to sing. I like it that Lisa's vocal spots on this album are not just relegated to atmospheric, clean guitar-led moments. She does sing over those at times, of course, and those moments are often great - but she is a powerful vocalist, and it is great that she is allowed to rise over some heavier riffing at times. This is largely what happens here, with the lengthy verses split pretty evenly between Lisa and Jacobsson - whilst that memorable riff dances away in the background and the synths add plenty of atmosphere. As such, this song feels a bit heavier overall more consistently. There is still plenty of atmosphere thanks to the keyboards, and a mournful overall sound, but there is little of the clean guitar approach that the band often utilise. There is one such moment later on, which actually features Jacobsson briefly delivering spoken word before it is then largely instrumental - but lead guitar breaks are generally utilised as respite instead this time. As such, there is a true doom feel here - especially later on when Jacobsson dominates over an even slower riff. I Gave You Wings returns to the I Welcome Thy Arrow style of opening slowly, with Lisa singing early on against a clean guitar backing. This early section later gets utilised as a chorus, but like the album's opening cut the rest of the band soon kick in - and a heaviness takes over with some rare double bass drumming and a bit more of a sense of urgency. That is not to say that this is a fast song, as it is not, but there are a few riff-led sections here that feel a bit more energetic thanks to the double bass drumming - but there are also plenty of moments which are much more typical with more of a swinging drum groove and a pounding backing. Jacobsson really dominates this track vocally. Lisa's chorus moments are the respite, with clean guitars and her ethereal vocals shining like a light in the dark, but the extended verses switch back and forth between the two drumming styles with Jacobsson's deep growls ever-present. Later on, he delivers some more spoken word, against some clean guitars, and there are also quite a few lead guitar moments to compensate for the relative lack of clean vocals this time. As such, this is one of the heaviest and truest death metal tracks here in my opinion - especially due to the relatively rare uses of extended double bass drumming. That being said, though, towards the end things to feel a bit more light - with Lisa's final vocal section feeling a bit more extended before she also delivers some spoken word to close things out with some distant clean guitar. As if to provide some respite and contrast following one of the album's heavier cuts, Asteria Beneath the Tranquil Sea is a short and very atmospheric piece that features no harsh vocals at all. As such, Lisa is the only voice heard this time - and she delivers the song's vocals in a surprisingly warm and breathy manner, which is a bit different from her usual approach. There really is no metal here at all, with Ericson's synths and string arrangements the only real backing for Lisa's voice. There are occasional percussive-like sounds in the background, but these are likely just synths, too, and the song acts as an interlude in the album - whilst delivering something a bit more substantial than a typical interlude would thanks to Lisa's excellent vocals.

She remains dominant early on during Cold Heavens, too, a heavier song that opens with one of the album's fastest riffs. This is certainly no thrash track, but the opening riff is fairly energetic with double bass drumming rumbling away beneath it - and there are also some hooky guitar leads which are established here and then used regularly elsewhere during the song. Compared to some of the songs here arrangement-wise, this one is a bit more straight forward - so it is unsurprising that the band also shot a video for it. Melodies are pushed to the fore here, and there is perhaps a bit more of a vocal dominance for Lisa here - as she sings in her usual manner during much of the verses before pushing herself and going for that more siren-like approach during the soaring chorus. Jacobsson is generally utilised as the counter this time, his growls filling parts of each verse as a break between Lisa's two vocal styles, before he takes over during the final part of the song for a crushing closing section - which is easily the heaviest and most doom-like the song feels given the faster riffing found elsewhere the soaring chorus. The song still very much feels like Draconian, though, despite the slightly different arrangement - it is just perhaps a bit more accessible than some of the band's more meandering moments. Penultimate number Misanthrope River opens with some narration by Simon Bibby (Seventh Angel; My Silent Wake; Thy Listless Heart), his English accent adding a Victorian gothic feel to the track - but generally the song is pretty typical of the band's core sound, albeit perhaps dialling up the melancholy with some even slower riffing and starker keyboard sounds. Lisa sings a lot early on, during some clean guitar-led sections, and the overall arrangement follows the pattern of Lisa singing during the sparser moments and Jacobsson coming in when things get heavier. Lisa does get a few more powerful moments, but overall that pattern is stuck to - and it works well given how contrasting the two main vibes of this song are. Some of Lisa's moments feel like the album at its most sparse, whilst there is a real lumbering feel to some of the riffs elsewhere. A mournful guitar solo is also utilised to somewhat bridge the two sounds, with the song being perhaps the starkest mix of the extreme ends of the band's core sound as a result. The album then comes to a close with Lethe, which opens very slowly with some distant synths - but these synths become more prominent as Lisa starts to sing, with some occasional clean guitars beneath her. Whilst the band do kick in later on, Lisa really dominates the song for quite a while and it takes a while for any real metal to appear. The clean guitar melodies and synths really form a dense tapestry as Lisa sings, her voice largely feeling more delicate here - although she does feel a little more powerful during what somewhat acts as a bit of a chorus. The song is very much a haunting, hypnotic number, then, and it is much less heavy than is typical of the album. The band does kick in later on, though, which allows Jacobsson to take over for a brief period - but his vocals are still backed by plenty of atmosphere despite the overall heaviness. This moment feels quite short lived, though, and the song soon returns to its atmospheric base for a lengthy instrumental section featuring percussive drumming and interweaving clean guitar melodies. Jacobsson kicks back in right back before the song fades out for one last vocal moment - but really much of the song's final moments are instrumental. Doom can sometimes feel a bit samey after a while, but despite a core sound I have really enjoyed my time with In Somnolent Ruin and it feels good to have finally properly dived into all things Draconian. I have quite a bit of catching up to do, but I fully intend to pick up the band's other albums - and I am considering seeing them live next year when they come to London in March.

The album was released on 8th May 2026 via Napalm Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Cold Heavens.

Venom's 'Into Oblivion' - Album Review

I know that there is little in this world now that is truly original, but having two albums called Into Oblivion by big-name metal bands dropping within a couple of months of each other seems especially unoriginal. Not that it really matters, as there are plenty of albums out there that share titles, but Lamb of God won 2026's Into Oblivion race when they dropped their latest album back in March (which I reviewed here). Coming in second place, then, are the Newcastle-upon-Tyne-based proto-black/speed metal band Venom - a three-piece that formed back in 1979 and were a vital part of the NWOBHM movement. Looking back, most of the big-hitters of the NWOBHM movement were not especially heavy - often due to thin-sounding productions and a general love of classic rock from all involved. Some bands did push the envelope and introduced darker tones into their sound during the early 1980s, though, and Venom were certainly one of them. Whilst it remains a scrappy release, no-one had heard anything like Welcome to Hell when it dropped in 1981 - and 1982's Black Metal, which built upon the sound of the debut and improved it in essentially every way, practically birthed and named a whole genre. My knowledge of Venom does not really extend beyond those first two albums, though. I have heard 2015's From the Very Depths, too, as I saw the band live at the 2016 iteration of Bloodstock Open Air, but really I can only be called a casual Venom fan - and they are a band that I have often thought that I should make more of an effort with. In truth, they have largely been a band that I have respected rather than truly loved. They are clearly very important in the history of extreme metal, and were doing something pretty revolutionary during the early 1980s, but I have never been a big fan of black metal - so I am less inclined to be interested in Venom's music. Venom do not play black metal in the modern sense, despite their association with the genre, but their fast-paced songs, pseudo-Satanic imagery, raw production, and punkish edge are all things that later fed into the black metal genre - and at the time they just sat at the extreme end of the NWOBHM movement. I cannot say that I was especially impressed with the band live, either. Venom have not played in the UK since that 2016 festival appearance - and it was also their first UK show since 2006. They clearly have little interest in playing in their own country - and I remember that band founder Conrad 'Cronos' Lant spent much of the set complaining that they were not playing at the bigger Download Festival instead. I cannot imagine that went down well with the Bloodstock team - and his attitude seemed really poor considering the size of the crowd he was still playing to. Perhaps, as a result, there is actually little interest when it comes to promoters booking them here in the UK, rather than the band having little interest in playing here. This aside, though, I still wanted to persevere with Venom - so when their sixteenth studio album dropped earlier this month I decided to give it a go. It is the band's first album in eight years, following 2018's Storm the Gates - and their fourth with the current line-up. Frontman Cronos is the only original member left by this point, with guitarist Stuart 'Rage' Dixon and drummer Danny 'Dante' Needham having been in the band since 2007 and 2009 respectively. The current line-up has been together for quite a while, then, but the band has not exactly been all that prolific in recent times - hence this only being their fourth effort together.

With 13 songs here that clock in at just under 44 minutes, nothing really outstays its welcome. Venom have never really shaken things up that much, so Into Oblivion essentially feels exactly how I would expect it to. The band's trashy, dark, fast-paced sound is present and correct - but after a while the songs here all do start to blend into one somewhat. The album gets underway with its title track, which opens with a dark-sounding, and surprisingly epic guitar riff - before quite a melodic intro section takes over. Anyone expecting a more nuanced and melodic sound should not hold out much hope, though, despite these early melodies from Rage, as soon enough Dante lays into his double bass drums and a barrelling riff takes over. This speed metal assault essentially drives the rest of the song. The intro's guitar leads are later returned to during breaks between the chorus and the next verse, which is welcome, but otherwise the song barrels along with a punk pace and some buzzsaw riffing. Cronos never had the greatest of voices, but he still sounds pretty much like his old self here. That part-shouted, part-sneered approach from the early days remains, if a little lower in the register, and he barks his way through the verses and a simple, shout-along chorus here with a good amount of power. Aside from this and the brief melodic sections, the song does not really change - and it essentially sets the tone for what is to follow. Lay Down Your Soul references Black Metal lyrically, with part of the latter's chorus lifted in a bit of a jarring way and incorporated here. Another fast track, this song shows how much of an influence Motörhead were on Venom - with the main guitar riff here feeling like a crunchier version of something Motörhead could have included on one of their earlier albums. The melodic moments from the previous song are gone here, though, and this one is a full-on speed fest. From the off, Dante's drumming is relentless, whilst Rage thrashes away on his guitar and Cronos barks the vocals. The vocal melodies are a bit hookier here, especially during the chorus - and there is a decent energy. A brief guitar solo section does slow the pace somewhat, but otherwise this is a thrashy piece. Nevermore feels a bit crunchier overall. It is more of a mid-paced number, although there is still something of a kinetic energy throughout - largely thanks to a stop-start double bass drum pattern and some more active riffing. There is no real standing on ceremony here, and Cronos starts to sing essentially as the song kicks in. The verses are accented by a couple of big chords, with Rage adding these full stops after each line of lyrics, which does help to provide something of a hook - whilst a later chorus section feels a little more furious. As such, there is a bit more variety pace-wise throughout this number - with slower and faster sections sitting side-by-side. There is also a pretty riffy bridge, which shows that NWOBHM grounding, whilst Rage's solo feels a bit more melodic than is typical. Man & Beast is more of a true mid-paced number. From Dante's count-in, the song really chugs along - sounding quite a bit heavier than anything else heard on the album up to this point. There is a bit of an Accept feel throughout the song, and this is later expanded upon with some repetitive gang vocals that are deployed throughout. These gang vocals give the song a bit of a shout-along feel at times, whilst Cronos utilises the overall slower pace to deliver a creepier overall vocal - with more of a harsh edge that suits the song's crunch.

Death the Leveller returns to the band's classic faster-paced sound. The song's opening riff is a bit more 1980s-sounding, with less of a dark overtone, but the song is typically thrashy and full of all of the classic Venom tropes once it gets going. The verses are pretty furious, then, despite Dante largely leaving his double bass drums alone this time, but there are some little guitar riff accents which return to the more organic opening somewhat. As is generally the case with Venom, too, the chorus is very straight forward. The lyrics are essentially just the song's title shouted a couple of times by Cronos in that gravelled manner he has always utilised. It is easy enough to latch onto, but given that this is typical across the album it does not do a lot to stand out. As Above, So Below is the longest song here, at just under five minutes - so it acts as the album's centrepiece and epic. It does open in a slower manner, with some slow-burning guitar riffs that slowly build in heaviness and volume - whilst Dante begins to add some marching snare drum behind it. This relatively lengthy intro in the context of the album is as about as progressive and stretched out as Venom ever feel here - and much of the song is just typical of the core Venom sound, there is just a bit more of it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pace is not as fast as is often the case - with this track mostly operating at a crunching mid-pace. This allows for the verses to feel a bit longer and riffier - but Cronos' vocal style remains the same as ever, so there is little in terms of variety. There is a bit more time given over to instrumental moments here, though, with a few little riff-led sections jumping out - whilst some more atmospheric moments are used briefly to bridge certain sections, including a fast-paced guitar solo. Kicked Outta Hell picks the pace back up again, but this time the song's main opening riff is allowed to settle in a bit more - and it is one of the best riffs on the album as a result. Many of the riffs here are just chugs or thrashy note patterns, but the riff here is actually much more defined and melodic overall - which means that when the rest of the band are crashing away behind it there is something more to latch into. The whole rest of the song seems to build on this approach, too, and everything here just feels a bit more memorable. The chorus is very similar vocally to everything else here, but the riff behind it really helps - whilst the guitar solo is another that feels a bit more melodic. There is even a bass-led section from Cronos - and this is a song that just feels more well-crafted than most of the other cuts here. Legend slows things down, and opens with an elongated riff that makes the most of a handful of notes and the odd pinch harmonic to create a classically evil sound. Dante's percussive drumming behind the riff is a bit different from the norm, too, and there is a bit more space in the mix overall - which allows Cronos' voice to feel a bit clearer than usual. The chorus and instrumental parts of the song are faster and more typical, with buzzing riffing and faster drumming, but the verses are actually quite groovy - which is not something that can be said about most of this album. Live Loud is much more typical of the album's core sound, with scrappy buzzsaw riffing kicking in from the off - although the use of pinch harmonics is carried over the previous song. It is a much thrashier piece overall, then, aside from the chorus which is a bit more of a plodding affair, and Dante makes good use of his double bass drums again whilst Cronos growls away and Rage lays down some simple riffing.

Metal Bloody Metal is another track which actually has a bit of a groovy feel overall - so it is one of the songs here than stands out a bit more as it does something a bit different. The main chorus is faster, with double bass drumming and quite a tidy riff, elsewhere the song is much more of a headbanger overall. It is quite an easy song to vibe with as a result, and I do like the drumming from Dante quite a lot throughout it. Venom are not a band to showcase virtuoso musicianship at any time really, but Dante does some interesting beats here which gel nicely together - so there is a lot to like about his performance here and the overall hard-driving, mid-paced nature of the piece. Dogs of War is the shortest song here at just over two minutes - so I would have expected something much faster overall. Instead, the song is a strange, mid-paced chug with quite a chaotic overall sound. The main riff has more of a slab-like feel than is typical for the band, but large parts of the song sound quite noisy with whammy-bar screams and other feedback-type noises just filling out the mix as the riff clatters around in the background. There is a strangely industrial feel to parts of the song, then, despite synths or anything of that nature seemingly not featuring - and it is over almost as quickly as it started, kicking the listener with something strange and snaking for a brief period. Deathwitch is much more typical, then, picking the pace back up - with Dante again leading from the front with his double bass drums whilst Rage lays down a chugging riff. This is another song which has a little bit of an Accept vibe at times. It is not as obvious as the example earlier in the album, as the riffing is not as overtly crunchy, but the chorus here boasts plenty of shout-along gang vocal moments which are very much Accept-coded. It is a simple song to latch onto, then, and there are also moments that allow the guitar riffing to shine a little bit more - especially during a later bridge section which leads into a melodic guitar solo. The album then comes to a close with the somewhat more creeping Unholy Mother - a mid-paced number with a snaking opening riff that is allowed to settle in a bit more than is typical. This is not an especially long song, but given the slower pace a bit more time is afforded to instrumental segments here - and the main riff is allowed to shine as a result. Alongside this main riff, there is a bit more of an in-depth vocal arrangement this time - with a bit of a call-and-response approach during parts of the song, which sees Cronos floating around the speakers. There is quite a lengthy guitar solo section, too, but there are parts of the solo which are largely just noise and guitar effects, which is a bit of shame - especially as the album closes out on this solo. It does not feel like an especially fitting climax, but given Venom's scrappy overall nature maybe it does work somewhat. Venom are never going to be a favourite band of mine, they are just too one-note and scrappy for me, but I have still managed to find plenty to enjoy during my recent time with Into Oblivion. There were perhaps a bit more variety than I expected, despite a core sound very much being adhered to, and there was fun to be found in the band's overall quite simplistic and primal approach. I am certainly not going to now go out and get all 16 of Venom's albums, but I do not regret getting this one - even if it will not be in regular rotation.

The album was released on 1st May 2026 via Noise Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Lay Down Your Soul.

Chez Kane - London Review

Following a couple of local nights out over the past couple of weeks, it was time to get back on my travels over the warm bank holiday weekend. Jethro Tull really exceeded expectations down in Truro earlier in the month, before a decent set from Edge of Paradise here in Plymouth provided an after-work night out last week - but yesterday I headed back up to London for the first time this month. Considering I went to London three times in quick succession last month, though, it barely felt like I had been away. The vast majority of my gigging trips this year are to London, and it is only around a month until I am back again, but this past month or so has felt especially busy with trips up and back to the capital. As I write this I am back home again, trying to keep cool, following a very scorching trip to London - where temperatures, at times, breached 30 degrees. That is hot for May, although temperatures like that are becoming more common here in the UK deeper into the summer months, but I cannot imagine that too many businesses and tourist destinations in London were complaining too much. The reason for my trip to London was to catch the Welsh melodic rocker Chez Kane and her solo band live for the first time as a headline act. I first came into contact with Kane back in 2019 when her then-band Kane'd, which she formed with her two sisters, opened for Tyketto in Nottingham. I was never a huge fan of the band, who from memory where a pretty typical sounding hard rock act, but when she started a solo career a couple of years later I was much more interested in the melodic hard rock/AOR/glam metal sound that she was going for. Two albums dropped in quite quick succession, in 2021 and 2022 - and since then she has started to build up her live activity, and has already racked up quite a few shows here and abroad, both as a headliner and as a support act. Despite liking both albums as they came out, I did not get to see Kane live until last year - when I saw her opening up for H.E.A.T in London. I had expected to enjoy her set having enjoyed her albums, but I feel like she impressed live more than I expected - with her songs coming across really well live and Kane herself having really developed into a confident and powerful frontwoman. She got a great night off to a great start, then, and I have wanted to see her as a headliner since. With the release of her third solo album Reckless (which I reviewed here) earlier in the year, then, a new tour was inevitable - and I think that this current tour may well be Kane's most ambitious to date. Part of the reason that I did not see her until last year was the fact that many of her previous headline shows seemed to take place at that little group seemingly well-liked small venues that seem pretty inaccessible to anyone who does not have a car (The Patriot in Crumlin and Elven in Stoke-on-Trent spring to mind as examples). This tour had some more accessible options, though, and it meant heading back The Underworld in Camden for the third time within the space of a month. Following a hot walk around East London earlier in the day, and attempting to stay cool in my hotel whilst following what turned out to be quite an exciting day of Premier League football, I had wondered if The Underworld would be unbearable in the heat - but the air con was working overtime and it was actually quite a pleasant place to be. There was a decent crowd in attendance, but the place was not exactly full - which also likely helped. Given that this was Kane's first time headlining the venue, though, I imagine that she would have been pleased with the turnout.

Before Kane's set, though, the growing crowd was treated to a couple of support acts. Up first was long-time London rock scene staple Steff Voxx and his band - playing their first set of original material for many years. Voxx is largely known as the mastermind behind the long-standing hard rock and metal covers band Metalworks - which often plays at The Underworld and around the city. Many well-known faces have previously been a part of the band, including Judas Priest's Richie Faulkner and Uriah Heep's Davey Rimmer, plus many other big names have got up on stage with the many iterations of Metalworks over the years. I have never seen the band, but I understand that they are very well-liked and fixtures of the club scene across London - and that Voxx is something of a father figure in the current London rock and metal scene. It is, therefore, great to see him taking another stab at being an original act again, something which he did many years ago, but I cannot say that his material was anything special. It was certainly listenable and not bad, but all of the songs played were pretty generic hard rock with boogie riffs, bluesy solos, and quite simple choruses. There were a few decent hooks throughout, and some of the riffs were quite memorable, but nothing really jumped out all that much. Considering that this was the first time that the songs had been played live, too, the band did feel a bit under rehearsed at times. There were a few bits where someone seemed to be out of time or was not sure which bit came next - but largely the set hung together and Voxx was greeted warmly by those who had turned up early. Voxx's set was only half an hour, too, so it did not outstay its welcome - and it ended with a spirited version of UFO's Shoot Shoot, in tribute to the late Pete Way, which certainly had a few down on the floor singing along.

The night's main support act were the UK-based four-piece Star Circus, a melodic hard rock band that are opening for Kane on quite a few of her tour dates. I had heard of them before last night, but before their set I had not heard any of their music. There were quite a few people in attendance wearing Star Circus shirts, too, so I was keen to check them out - and I ended up largely enjoying their set. Seemingly based around Dave Winkler (vocals/guitar) and Sophie Aurélia Young (bass guitar/vocals), the band play a pretty poppy take on hard rock - with a very 1970s British glam rock take on melody and some 1980s style harder rock riffs. Given that Cats in Space exist, other bands that play a similar type of music are always likely to struggle to compete, but after a couple of numbers I largely enjoyed what Star Circus had to offer. I say this as the songs that the band played generally got better as the set went along. I thought that their opening number really was quite bland, with not much of a decent chorus to speak of. Bands like this live or die by their hooks, and at first I was not sure that there were going to be enough to keep me interested. The next couple of songs were similar, but as things progressed I started to warm to the band. There were some strong vocal harmonies throughout the set which involved the whole band, and the choruses got stronger as the set went on. I also warmed more to Winkler's voice as things progressed. I thought that he sounded a bit weak at first, but he also seemed a bit low in the mix early on - so as the mix levelled out I thought he sounded stronger. There were certainly a few songs towards the end of the set which grabbed me quite a bit more - and I started to enjoy the mix of the influences that were on show. Special shoutout should go to the band's new guitarist Joel Chalk - who only joined the band very recently. His riffing certainly gave the band a bit of a kick - and his solos were fluid and powerful. Winkler also chipped in with some lead guitar and soloing, but largely this was left to Chalk - although there were some Thin Lizzy-esque harmony leads utilised at times. The band had longer than Voxx and his band, too, with around 45 minutes to fill. At first I thought that this 45 minutes would pass quite slowly, but as I warmed to the band the time passed quite quickly - and this is always a sign that a good time is being had. Overall, then, I enjoyed Star Circus - despite the slow start. I would certainly be willing to check out their albums in due course - and it is always good to put some faces to a name.

The changeovers during the evening were quite quick, so it was not long following Star Circus' set that Kane and her band took to the stage. Since I saw her last year she has added keyboard player Oscar Charlton to her band - meaning that many of the main keyboard parts throughout the set were now played live. She relied on backing tracks for the keyboard parts before which, given how key they are to her sound, was a little disappointing. Clearly she is moving up in the world, though, so was able to bring the extra musician along for the ride - and having live keyboards certainly helped her to present a better show. She played for just under an hour and a half, squeezing 17 songs into that time - including 7 from the latest album. It was one of the new cuts, Personal Rock n' Roll, which kicked things off - and the twin guitar power of Harry Scott Elliott and James Ready was evident from the off. Kane herself is a great singer and on-stage presence, but she has surrounded herself with great musicians to deliver a great rock show. The band felt like a true band, too. The musicians did not just stand in the background as some musicians do when backing a solo artist, but there was a lot of chemistry between everyone on stage - with Elliott and Ready throwing lots of great rockstar shapes whilst soloing. Despite all this, though, Kane was clearly the star. She sounded great from the off, and has developed into a force of nature on stage in terms of interacting with the crowd and putting on a show. This would all be for nothing if the songs were not up to scratch, but anthem after anthem filled the set. Quite a few of the songs played early on were older numbers, with the newer cuts largely coming later, so there were big hitters like Too Late for Love, with its massive synth melodies, and I Just Want You to keep the crowd happy early on. Despite perhaps wanting to hit the crowd with songs that they would know early on, I think that everyone in attendance knew all of the songs - old and new. There was certainly plenty of singing going on around me - and there was a strong atmosphere in the room from the early part of the set. It was pretty much a hard rocking affair from the off, too. Kane did not include any of her ballads in the set, although there was a good mix of harder rock efforts and smoother pop numbers. Songs like Nationwide and the later Night of Passion showcased what having a live keyboard player can offer - with Charlton adding some fluid synth soloing to the latter. He also added some additional guitar to the funkier Midnight Rendezvous, allowing for some three-way riffing at times - whilst Kane rocked the guitar herself during a barnstorming rendition of Reckless. Given that 17 songs had to be squeezed in, there was little coming up for air. Kane spoke to the crowd well, but she kept things brief - largely letting the set flow and the anthems come. There is not much that needs to be said when high-energy rockers like Bodyrock can easily move a crowd - whilst more sultry numbers later in the set like Strip Me Down and Love Gone Wild certainly rose the temperature in Camden. Given that she now has three albums, it must be hard to know which songs to leave out - but overall I think she made the right decisions. Perhaps only the slightly more rudimentary Get It On felt a little out of place - but given everything else played one brief misstep can easily be forgiven. With anthems like Rocket on the Radio and Powerzone rounding out the set, too, everything ended on a real high - and perhaps Kane next time returns to London she will need to find a bigger room. The setlist was:

Personal Rock n' Roll

Too Late for Love

All of It

I Just Want You

Love Tornado

Nationwide

Midnight Rendezvous

Bodyrock

Better Than Love

Reckless

Night of Passion

Strip Me Down

Love Gone Wild

Get It On

Tongue of Love

Rocket on the Radio

Powerzone

Given that I had enjoyed Kane's set last year, I knew that I would enjoy last night's effort - but the headline show was much better than the support slot. Having a larger backing band likely helped, and the material from the new album is really strong overall. The setlist was a really good mix of all of Kane's albums, too, and a decent-sized Sunday night Camden crowd ensured that there was a good atmosphere from the first note to the last. Kane deserves to find success with her music, and she seems to be rising through the ranks in a sustainable way - so I look forward to seeing where things go next.