Our weekly music News Report has evolved into the Full Pelt Magazine, and you can download the second issue now for free!
Volume two includes reviews of October Drift and Philip Seth Campbell.
We have our News Report rounding up new releases from Demob Happy, The Struts, The Rolling Stones, Dream Nails, Militarie Gun, REWS, Haunt The Woods, Scaler, The Cadillac Three, Pendulum, Wargasm, Daytime TV, HourHouse, Black Water County, The Pearl Harts, Gama Bomb, The Hyena Kill, Amongst Liars, Dead Poet Society and Death Of Me!
Plus new live announcements from Enter Shikari, Keane, The Big Moon, Wayward Sons, Of Mice & Men, Meryl Streek and BIG SPECIAL.
ROYAL BLOOD – BACK TO THE WATER BELOW – ALBUM REVIEW
Royal Blood have been one of the biggest success stories for new rock bands over the past decade. All three of their albums thus far have reached the coveted number one spot and the band have elevated themselves to arena and festival headline status.
All of this creates a natural pressure on the band to keep delivering consistently high standards, and the time has arrived to see whether the band can achieve an incredible quadruple of number one albums.
âBack to the Water Belowâ sees the band handling production fully themselves for the first time having previously worked alongside the likes of Josh Homme and Tom Dalgety. The positives of such a move of course include the unadulterated freedom, but the double-edged sword is that there is nobody to offer assurance and quality control.
After all the bells and whistles that accompanied predecessor âTyphoonsâ, the album title this time around may also refer to the back to basics approach taken by the duo. From opener âMountains At Midnightâ onwards itâs evidently clear that the band have gone back to their roots to use another tired clichĂŠ.
Thatâs not to say that they havenât added plenty of polish to the finished product but that there is a slower more methodical sonic style on this collection. That Royal Blood DNA is evident throughout but the album is much more melancholic than those that came before.
This does in many ways feel the least hyped of all of the bands albums and the limited pre-release campaign feeds into that. It feels like messrs Kerr and Thatcher want to let the music do the talking on this record, and they are clearly talented enough to do so.
Whilst this may be a completely different album compared to any of their three previous efforts, Royal Blood have still created something distinctly Royal Blood. The band have seen their fair share of criticism in the past both somehow for failing to evolve and for changing too much! On âBack to the Water Belowâ, the band merge everything theyâve done before and evolve into something new.
So, while musically this record is a fantastic genesis of the their style, commercially it will be interesting to see if this is an album that can secure that illustrious fourth consecutive number one?
Hot Milk have been building, building, building since they stormed onto the scene in 2019. Building a solid fanbase, building a reputation as a top live act and building an incomparable back catalogue. Whilst those positive foundations were being built though, pressure and expectation built with them, specifically for a full debut album.
Well, the time has arrived for the band to show off their finished house to the word. Complete with aesthetically pleasing artwork, âA Call To The Voidâ is ready for inspection and on first look it would appear that the band havenât build any ordinary house, theyâve built a temple!
âA Call To The Voidâ is a call to arms, an invitation for that dedicated and passionate following to worship in their temple. From beginning to end the album is a galvanising expression of cathartic release from the band.
Stripping all existential meanings from the songs, what this album represents is quite simply a really fun half hour of joyous pop punk. What the band do well is add a darker edge to the genre which removes much of the silliness that is often associated with it. That said whilst many might try and pigeonhole this as emo or the like, the reality is that the band defy true genre designated.
There are plenty of obvious influences spread throughout the album, but Hot Milk have an ability to go beyond them and create something which is uniquely Hot Milk. The band have captured imaginations with their output thus far and âA Call To The Voidâ is now the centrepiece on the mantle in their temple.
It will of course be interesting to see where the band go from this point, but they progress having successfully navigated the pitfalls of a debut album. Given that the group donât appear to be ones to rest on their laurels then youâd imagine the building work will continue and youâd surely put money on them creating something spectacular!
HOLDING ABSENCE – THE NOBLE ART OF SELF DESTRUCTION – ALBUM REVIEW
It has been quite a remarkable journey for Holding Absence, for example you probably wonât find many bands on their level this early in their career whilst technically featuring no original members. The band have come so far from their early beginnings though and to have the opportunity to marvel upon their evolution in recent years has been very special indeed.
Every challenge has been met head on, and the ability of the band to form such a strong, organic connection with their fans has been a pleasure to see. Hard work in the studio and out on the road has born beautiful fruit and 2021âs âThe Greatest Mistake of My Lifeâ was a true masterpiece.
The band now find themselves in the unenviable position of trying to follow that release and they do so with third album, âThe Noble Art of Self Destructionâ, which is perhaps more than a subtle nod at the obstacles that theyâve overcome.
As mentioned already, the evolution and growth of the band has been special to witness but their sound in particular has developed so elegantly over the course of their career. On this new record they are sonically soaring above the clouds with a majestic aura connecting each track.
The ten songs here will suck you in and youâll lose yourself to the honesty and richness of the lyrical content whilst be carried about by the gentle waves of the atmospheric soundtrack. Itâs impossible to cherry pick highlights here as the album will simply take you on a journey that youâll willingly follow.
Holding Absence are a band that appear to have found a magical formula for song writing because every time you think that theyâve peaked, they go ahead and surprise you all over again.
The career of The View has been really fascinating, full of ups and downs, hit singles and missed opportunities. Once tipped to be the next big thing, the band now find themselves pigeonholed into a noughties indie nostalgia scene.
There has always been a youthful volatility to the band that has both garnered positive sentiment and turned people off in equal measures. After a hiatus the band returned to a receptive fanbase who packed out shows and soaked up a look back at the glory days.
What is interesting here is that most bands would settle for their place in the pecking order and hit up that nostalgia circuit for as long as possible. Perhaps thatâs what many wouldâve expected The View to do, but instead here they are with a brand new studio album, which really is rather good!
Yes, that isnât something we perhaps thought weâd be saying in 2023 but âExorcism of Youthâ is undoubtedly the groupâs best work since their debut album. With a more mature and explorative sound, a strong argument could even be made to say that the album is actually their very best.
There is plenty of what made the band popular on offer but rather than just copy their previous homework the band have put in the work and delivered something fresh. The likes of the fantastic âShovel In His Handsâ and the superb âWoman of the Yearâ standout but the album as a whole is full of melancholic indie anthems.
Fans of the band will very much enjoy this album and the band can be proud of proving all the naysayers wrong by pulling a rabbit out of the hat with âExorcism of Youthâ!
THE XCERTS – LEARNING How TO LIVE AND LET GO – ALBUM REVIEW
Itâs somehow been five years since The Xcerts released the sublime âHold On to Your Heartâ, and in the meantime a lot has happened both in the world itself and in the world of The Xcerts.
The band now return with a new album, on a new record label, and with a newly expanded musical ambition, which is perhaps best demonstrated on statement single, âGIMMEâ! Yes, âLearning How to Live and Let Goâ, is the sound of a band testing themselves and pushing their boundaries, removing any pre-set assumptions about what is expected of them.
That said, the DNA that runs through the likes of âIn the Cold Wind We Smileâ and âThere Is Only Youâ is very still inherent on what is perhaps the groups most well rounded record yet. The juxtaposition between the likes of âAcheâ and âMy Friends Foreverâ is so finely balanced because the band have taken the two ends of their sonic palette and stretched them are far as possible.
As a result you get a wide range of new colours but the identity of the artist remains the intrinsic link. In a day and age where artists are encouraged to play it safe and stick to the rulebook, The Xcerts have been brave enough to throw that book out the window and explore themselves.
The result is twelve thoroughly enjoyable tracks interwoven by the theme of acceptance and the road to it. This very much feels like the band also coming to terms with their place in the world, pressing reset and setting off on their next journey; and given the immense quality of the outcome, you canât help but want to go on that journey with them!
The hives – the death of randy fitzsimmons – album review
The Hives have always been a phenomenal live band and earlier this summer the UK seemed to realise this on a larger scale when the band played as special guests on the mammoth Arctic Monkeys stadium tour.
The Hives, as expected, blew the headliners out the water and now itâs time for the band to remind everyone just how good they are on record. After all, âThe Death of Randy Fitzsimmonsâ is the groupâs first new studio album in over 11 years!
Thatâs far too long to wait for another frantic release of energy in the manner that only The Hives can deliver. The album bursts straight into life with âBogus Operandiâ, âTrapdoor Solutionâ and âCountdown to Shutdownâ and it never really stops for breath any at point.
Yes, on record the band are equally as exuberantly riotous as they are on the stage. The runtime of circa thirty minutes is ideal and ensures that the listenerâs attention is never even tested in the slightest. Indeed youâll just want to hit play again straight away.
There may not be any earth-shattering developments to their sound since their last effort, but letâs all be honest, nobody wouldâve wanted that. This is The Hives doing what only they do and doing so elegantly well!
Over the course of their twenty-five year career Skindred have etched themselves into the consciousness of the British metal scene. One of the most loved live bands on the circuit, the band have also built up an impressive catalogue of songs to get audiences moving.
âSmileâ is the groups eighth studio album and finds the band in impeccable form as they once again showcase their power to entice and engage. This is a spectacular summer record which is guaranteed to get the listener pumped up and ready to stand in a field swinging their t-shirt above their head!
Skindred have built their reputation on their live shows and this sometimes means that their recorded works are underappreciated. Itâs easy to pigeonhole the band, even if they are put into their own unique box, but on âSmileâ you can again feel the creative dexterity they possess within the undertones of the record.
The prolificacy of the band is immense, but again can sometimes lead to accusations of being a one trick pony. Across this album though whilst the band are again prolific (thereâs not a bad track to be found), when you dig down beyond the pre-release singles you can get a real sense of the sonic palette on offer.
Whilst âGimme That Boomâ, âSet Fazersâ, âL.O.V.E. (Smile Please)â and âUnstoppableâ are designed to sound massive live, the likes of âMamaâ, âIf I Couldâ, âThis Appointed Loveâ, ‘Addicted’ and âState of the Unionâ are equally enjoyable and make this album more than worth your time.
Itâs great that whilst on the live circuit the band are enjoying their biggest successes (Wembley anyone?), twenty-five years in Skindred can also still deliver the goods in the studio!
If one thing is for sure with As December Falls itâs that the band isnât afraid of hard graft. Recent years have seen the band play every stage willing to host them and new album, âJoin the Clubâ, represents their third studio album in less than five years!
But then what is the old saying? âFind a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your lifeâ. Given their chosen style of music is joyous pop punk, itâs no stretch to imagine that the band feel this way.
âJoin the Clubâ is an instantly fun-filled romp through the genre which doesnât let up throughout its thirty-two minute runtime. If you are a pop punk fan then this album is a perfect example of everything good about the oft maligned music.
At its core âJoin the Clubâ is simply an enjoyable collection of songs which just flies by when listening, which is always a good sign. Deeper down its an expansion of the groups previous two efforts with the band sounding more assured and ready to take over the world.
Hard work sadly doesnât always pay off in life and certainly not in the music industry, but everything does seem to be falling into place for As December Falls to climb the echelons of this tricky business. âJoin the Clubâ is exactly the album they need to capitalise on their current momentum, so it will be exciting to see where they go next!
The rise of Saint Agnes to this point has been slow and steady, but post pandemic the band have certainly been growing their cult following and making an indent on the masses. If youâve been following their development then itâs obvious that âBloodsuckersâ is an important release for the band as it could smash down a considerable amount of barriers.
The pre-release singles such as the title-track and âAnimalâ undoubtedly set the stall perfectly for the band to catapult themselves into the rock mainstream, and as soon as you hit play on âBloodsuckersâ you have to sit back and admire a band taking things to the next level!
The record begins with a ferocious defiance interwoven between the gothic aesthetic and modern nu-metalesque sonic exploration. Lyrically this is an angry yet stubborn start with singer Kitty Austen full of hatred but offering hope such as â…never feel afraid to be the outsider, I promise youâre never alone, because what the fuck do they knowâŚâ on the biting âOutsiderâ.
As the album develops you begin to hear a more diverse palate of musical and lyrical delivery with the likes of âThis Is Not The Endâ and âAt War With Myselfâ and âForever and Everâ making this more of a well rounded record.
There is still plenty of rage on the second half of the album however with the double header of âMiddle Fingerâ and the Mimi Barks featuring âBody Bagâ offering a tonne of controlled fury to maintain the fierce pace.
If this album needed to be big and bold to continue the rise of Saint Agnes, then the band has delivered exactly the record that was called for.
