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Album Reviews

Don Broco

Amazing Things

Don Broco Amazing Things
Don Broco – ‘Amazing Things’

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DON BROCO – AMAZING THINGS – ALBUM REVIEW

As with many album releases in the pandemic era, the release of ‘Amazing Things’ from Don Broco has seen its fair share of issues. With the arrival date for the record already delayed once, the date of the physical release has again been delayed, but thankfully the digital release is now here.

This is the fourth studio album from a band that has grown naturally over the course of their career to the point of headlining Wembley Arena in February 2019. Continued momentum is essential for bands and the pandemic has played havoc for many.

Don Broco have a tour scheduled to happen imminently so the release of ‘Amazing Things’ now is very important for the groups trajectory. More important though is the quality of the album. After all we’ve seen poor albums completely kill the momentum of much heralded bands in recent years.

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Don Broco – ‘Gumshield’

The long process of getting this album out has seen a number of tracks come out ahead of its release. ‘Gumshield’, ‘Manchester Super Reds No.1 Fan’, ‘Endorphins’, ‘One True Prince’ and ‘Uber’ all whet the appetite and hinted at the quality and ambition of ‘Amazing Things’.

Listen to ‘Manchester Super Red No.1 Fan’ on our Spotify Hot List!

Thankfully for the band the preview, glimpses and hints all manifest themselves as an album of pure, unadulterated, adrenaline-filled pop rock pleasure. This is a fun collection of songs which all present as being built to be played live.

As you listen you can visualise the crowd reactions that the songs are bound to elicit. Far from being a momentum killer, ‘Amazing Things’ is set to push the band on to… well, amazing things!

Whilst that may be a cheesy pun, it fits, because Don Broco have always had a cheesy coolness about them. They may not take themselves too seriously, but the music industry should certainly take them seriously as the future of rock.

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Read our review of VUKOVI live in Norwich

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Album Reviews

Biffy Clyro

The Myth of The Happily Ever After

Biffy Clyro The Myth of The Happily Ever After

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BIFFY CLYRO – THE MYTH OF THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER – ALBUM REVIEW

How does the saying go? Eat. Sleep. Release Album. Tour Album. Repeat? Well, it’s something like that normally isn’t it, but a certain pandemic has thrown best laid plans out the window for artists.

Take Biffy Clyro as a prime example. The release of ‘A Celebration of Endings’ was set to see the band play an arena tour which was even announced to the public. Alas the tickets never even went on sale due to the impact of the pandemic. Then the ‘Fingers Crossed’ tour was announced, a run of intimate dates that fingers crossed would go ahead.

Read our review of ‘For Those That Wish To Exist’ from Architects

Well, even that got postponed until the end of this month. Now before even that tour gets to happen we have another album from the band! ‘The Myth of The Happily Ever After’ is said to be the sister album for ‘A Celebration of Endings’. The fact is the band will now be touring the albums hand in hand so how do the records sit with each other?

Biffy Clyro have never really had a set formula, the very thing that identifies their sound is their lack of boundaries, their quirkiness and willingness to experiment. ‘A Celebration of Endings’ was already an album packed with musical nuance and ‘The Myth of The Happily Ever After’ gleefully continues to ebb and flow.

This is a band that has been pretty prolific both in quantity and quality for some time now, so it’s no surprise that this is another solid album which only adds to their legacy. It’s unlikely to be held up like Simba by Rafiki as the future king, but that’s due to its unique birth and relationship to its predecessor.

WATCH ‘A HUNGER IN YOUR HAUNT / UNKNOWN MALE 01’ ON YOUTUBE
Biffy Clyro – ‘A Hunger In Your Haunt / Unknown Male 01’

The description as a sister record feels right. This is a continuation of the creative process for ‘A Celebration of Endings’ and is basically the second record of another double album for the band. When held together the two albums are certainly up there in terms of the bands releases.

‘A Hunger In Your Haunt’, ‘Witch’s Cup’ and ‘Unknown Male 01’ lead the way for the record and ensure the likely dynasty for the album in future set lists. All in all this is another Biffy Clyro album that earns your attention and continues the bands momentum on their path to glory.

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Watch The Full Pelt Music Podcast on Youtube with guests Press To MECO

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Album Reviews

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes

Sticky

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes Sticky
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘Sticky’

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FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES – ‘STICKY’

Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes certainly have no issues in adapting and evolving. Each of their now four albums has managed to have its own identity in almost every way except one! That is that they are all clearly Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes records.

The trajectory of this band has often been signposted for the top since their initial inception just six years ago. With their headline performance at the special Download Pilot Festival this year, predications of headlining the main festival soon followed.

Read our review of Download Pilot Festival

There is no argument that this band is one of the most exciting live prospects on the circuit, but great live acts need great material to perform. ‘Sticky’ is the group’s fourth studio album and continues the hot streak of albums released in such a short time period.

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Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – ‘Sticky’

On this record the band focus on their punk capabilities with something of a throwback album. That is in that the ten songs are all on the shorter side and the album as a whole clocks in at just 28 minutes. This is a fast paced punk rock record for sure, but sonically it’s a progressive punk record which leans into the pop sensibilities of the band.

This is an album packed with rock club dancefloor fillers, designed to get you moving. The album blends perfectly as a singular piece of art but each song is also allowed to shine. This is helped by the array of special guests with Lynks, Joe Talbot, Cassyette and Bobby Gillespie all featuring on the album.

Following their stunning performance at Donington Park, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes are heading to huge band status and a top notch album at this point is now surely going to solidify their status. ‘Sticky’ is exactly the album that the band needed to release at this point in their career.

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Listen to ‘My Town’ on our Spotify Hot List!

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Album Reviews

Trivium

In the Court of the Dragon

Trivium In the Court of the Dragon Album Cover
Trivium – ‘In the Court of the Dragon’

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TRIVIUM – IN THE COURT OF THE DRAGON – ALBUM REVIEW

Trivium are on a hot streak following the critical and commercial successes of 2017’s ‘The Sin and the Sentence’ and 2020’s ‘What the Dead Men Say’, and fans haven’t had to wait long for their next effort!

‘In the Court of the Dragon’ is the group’s tenth studio album, so can they continue their hot streak on this landmark release?

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Trivium – ‘In the Court of the Dragon’

Some will have been surprised by the longevity of a band that polarised fans and critics for a time after their initial mammoth success. Trivium however have evolved into a much loved and respected act now embraced by a wide audience.

At this point, and especially following their recent releases, nobody should really be surprised by the quality of ‘In the Court of the Dragon’. The title track and fellow single ‘Feast of Fire’ had already teased that the hot streak was still in effect, but with the entire record now available it’s clear the answer to our question is yes.

Listen to ‘Feast of Fire’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Playlist

There are ten tracks on the bands tenth album including instrumental opener ‘X’, and it must be said that once again there isn’t a bad track on the record. There are naturally tracks that will lean themselves to being added to the bands live shows, but this is also an album to be savoured as a whole.

It has been a long and at times difficult road for them but at this point Trivium have well and truly earned their place at the top table of metal. As a tenth album, ‘In the Court of the Dragon’ does justice to the band’s legacy as well as keeping the future looking very bright for the band.

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Read our review of ‘Marching In Time’ from Tremonti

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Tremonti

Marching In Time

Tremonti Album Cover Marching In Time
Tremonti – ‘Marching In Time’

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TREMONTI – MARCHING IN TIME – ALBUM REVIEW

When Alter Bridge and Creed guitar icon Mark Tremonti first announced his namesake band Tremonti, you could be forgiven for thinking that it would be a temporary project. A lot of so called side-projects come together and put out an album before disappearing again. Some last longer but only emerge sporadically to fill gaps of time from their main band.

Well, a decade and five albums on, it is fair to say that Tremonti has become much more than that. Given that these albums haven’t just been clear leftovers from Alter Bridge, you’d also make an argument now that Tremonti is as important to the main man as his other bands.

Listen to ‘If Not for You’ from Tremonti on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Playlist

Another thing to note is the scepticism from day one that Tremonti himself would sing. We knew he is an incredible guitarist, but a singer? Again at this point it feels natural to hear Tremonti on vocal duty. Over the past ten years he has grown into the role with ease and ensured Tremonti the band has a unique identity.

So what can Tremonti the man and the band offer on their fifth studio album, ‘Marching In Time’? The twelve tracks have a run time just shy of an hour so this is a meaty album which isn’t ever trying to be something that it’s not. Whilst Tremonti has surpassed all expectations, they’ve never tried to reinvent the wheel.

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Tremonti – ‘Marching In Time’

There are no pop songs here, this is another delicately brutal, all out heavy rock collection which sees the band doing what they do best. That is not to say that there isn’t growth, there are certainly times when you can feel the band pushing their creativity.

There is plenty for fans to sink their teeth into, after all as we said this is a meaty album. ‘Marching In Time’ is everything you want from a Tremonti album and it continues to cement the band as a serious project. Not that they need to prove anything at this point, any band that can put out five albums of such quality in just ten years demand attention.

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Read our review of ‘The Ides of March’ from Myles Kennedy

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Planet Fatale

The Cycle Repeats

Planet Fatale The Cycle Repeats Album Cover
Planet Fatale – ‘The Cycle Repeats’

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PLANET FATALE – THE CYCLE REPEATS – ALBUM REVIEW

Planet Fatale formed from the ashes of various Cambridge based bands, and on their debut album, ‘The Cycle Repeats’ a phoenix rises!

It’s all too easy these days for new metal bands to sound… well, generic. This album is a breath of fresh air that manages to avoid such pitfalls. You can certainly hear some clear influences on the record, but they are enveloped and honed into an assured, confident sound that acts as a statement of intent from a band ready to take the metal world by storm.

WATCH ‘BREAK FOR YOU’ ON YOUTUBE
Planet Fatale – ‘Break For You’

From opening track ‘Talking To Myself’ and fellow single ‘Break For You’ through ‘Shotgun Riders’ and ‘Fight Club’ there is a undercurrent of considered fury. This helps set the tone for an album designed to get your head banging and your foot tapping.

Listen to ‘Talking To Myself’ our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist

Whilst most definitely and defiantly a heavy metal record, there is a poppiness to the songs that makes then very moreish. It won’t take long for listeners to be lured into this spiders web of hard hitting goodness.

It can be all too simple to stick with what you know and not try anything new, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. This album is certainly worth your time and Planet Fatale have set themselves a high standard for future releases.

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We recently spoke with singer Hels Johnson for the ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast, where we discuss ‘The Cycle Repeats’ and their upcoming tour plans. Be sure to check out our chat here or watch the video edition below.

‘Discover’ New Music Podcast – Episode 5 – Planet Fatale

Read our review of ‘Senjutsu’ from Iron Maiden

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Album Reviews

Miss Vincent

A Funeral For Youth

Miss Vincent A Funeral For Youth Album Cover
Miss Vincent – ‘A Funeral For Youth’

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MISS VINCENT – A FUNERAL FOR YOUTH – ALBUM REVIEW

Isn’t it time that we put to bed that tired argument that rock is dead? Rock is thriving, rock has evolved and rock is producing a steady stream of new school bands ready to take over the world.

You may not see every band plastered on billboards or represented in mainstream media but dig deep and there is fantastic new music being produced. Just listen to our ‘Discover’ New Music Playlist and you’ll hear the depth of talent on offer.

One band that has made such an impression as to feature not just once but twice on the Playlist; first with their single ‘Gravity’ and recently with their track ‘Rosaline’ is Miss Vincent. Now with the release of ‘A Funeral For Youth’ we have a full length album to sink our teeth into.

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Miss Vincent – ‘Rosaline’

It’s evident very early that the two aforementioned tracks aren’t standout tracks. They are catchy, vibrant single quality tracks for sure, but the rest of the album is just as good!

Superbly crafted and elegantly presented, Miss Vincent have captured magic on their debut album. ‘A Funeral For Youth’ is a sublime collection of upbeat, heartfelt and powerful songs that is bound to be stuck on repeat for the foreseeable future.

Check out our ‘Discover’ New Music Podcast!

It’s rock, but not as we know it! Well, not recently anyway. This is an album that hits the perfect balance between capturing the essence of what we call rock music, whilst managing to manifest a sound digestible to mainstream audiences.

On the opening track the band sing “…this gravity is keeping me down…”, well it’s going to take an immense force to hold this band down, because they appear set for the stars!

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Read our review of ‘American Noir’ from Creeper

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Manic Street Preachers

The Ultra Vivid Lament

Manic Street Preachers The Ultra Vivid Lament Album Cover

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MANIC STREET PREACHERS – THE ULTRA VIVID LAMENT – ALBUM REVIEW

Having formed way back in 1996, Manic Street Preachers have gone on to have a decorated and celebrated career which has seen the band change and evolve over time. We have seen the band go through various phases in their career with their current era being one in which the band do whatever they want to do.

They have had hit making era’s, angry periods and experimental times and now they have taken elements from each and produced their fourteenth studio album, ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’. If any band has earned the right to do as they please then it likely is Manic Street Preachers. That isn’t to say that they have tuned out or are resting on their laurels, just that they clearly have nothing left to prove.

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That is perhaps, other than their undoubted musical ability. Whether writing angry punk or delicate pop, this band has always created pieces of beauty. It’s no surprise therefore that ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ is full of intricate melodies, captivating rhythms and enchanting refrains.

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Manic Street Preachers – ‘The Secret He Had Missed’

There are songs such as ‘Orwellian’ and ‘The Secret He Had Missed’ that standout but in general this is a record to be savoured as a collection as opposed to cherry picking single tracks. The days of mega hits may be gone for the band, but they have plenty of those already.

Manic Street Preachers have earned the moniker of icons, they have enjoyed incredible success and now have the right to create whatever type of album they want. ‘The Ultra Vivid Lament’ is an enjoyable listen and the band clearly still has something to say!

Read our review of ’21st Century Love Songs’ from The Wildhearts

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The Wildhearts

21st Century Love Songs

The Wildhearts 21st Century Love Songs Album Cover
The Wildhearts – ’21st Century Love Songs’

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After so many chaotic on again off again years, The Wildhearts feel like they are now at the peak of their powers. Whilst the talent in the group has never been in question, many people will still have been surprised by the excellence of their 2019 comeback album ‘Renaissance Men’. With the band also firing on all cylinders live, it feels like the band are making up for lost time.

So we shouldn’t be surprised that the follow up to ‘Renaissance Men’ is already upon us. Again, we also shouldn’t be surprised then at the quality of that album! ‘21st Century Love Songs’ continues the momentum that the band has built up and capitalises flawlessly on their knack for writing catchy rock songs.

WATCH ‘REMEMBER THESE DAYS’ ON YOUTUBE
The Wildhearts – ‘Remember These Days’

From the opening title track through ‘Remember These Days’, ‘Splitter’ and the whole album, this is an unapologetic, brash, hearts on sleeves belter of a record. It cries for the volume to be turned up and the inhibitions to be turned down. This is a drunken party album that captures the current world climate perfectly.

Listen to ‘Sort Your Fucking Shit Out’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Spotify Playlist

You’ll unwittingly find yourself singing along to these impassioned songs at the top of your lungs; which really is the ideal remedy after what everybody has been through over the past year and a half! ‘21st Century Love Songs’ is a medicinal and cathartic release from The Wildhearts that is made for screaming aloud in a hot sweaty music venue.

It really is time to stop being surprised by the quality in this band, after all the diehards have known for a long, long time what the band can offer. It’s just now perhaps everyone else will wake up to the fact.

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Read our review of Frank Turner live at Coda, Colchester

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Iron Maiden

Senjutsu

Iron Maiden Senjutsu Album Cover
Iron Maiden – ‘Senjutsu’

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Iron Maiden are a legendary act that have earned the right to do things their way. Generally their way is very well prepared. Plans are set out some times years in advance. Album release schedules, touring schedules etc are meticulously planned out as the machine that is Maiden rolls on.

Recent years have been disruptive to this routine however, firstly with the delays to the release and tour of ‘The Book of Souls’ due to the cancer treatment undertaken by frontman Bruce Dickinson. Then with Dickinson fit and well and the band enjoying the highly successful ‘Legacy of the Beast’ tour, a global pandemic hits!

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Iron Maiden – ‘Stratego’

Tour plans again are torn up and replanned, then torn up again. Now with the world praying it’s on a better path, live shows are again scheduled and the machine is coming back online. So, despite still having some ‘Legacy of the Beast’ dates to fulfil, the band are back with their seventeenth studio album, ‘Senjutsu’.

With the album clocking in at over 80 minutes, clearly this isn’t an album aimed at winning over new audiences. Indeed Iron Maiden already have a dedicated and well established base of listeners. For those fans this album is another treat. It is Iron Maiden doing exactly what you’d expect Iron Maiden to do.

Listen to ‘The Writing On The Wall’ on our ‘Hard & Heavy’ Spotify Playlist

That being said, whilst this is a typical Maiden release it isn’t the album you’d suggest if asked to pick an album to introduce somebody to the band. In fitting with recent releases this is a feature length record that deserves to be listened to as a whole. You certainly won’t find any short and sweet, radio friendly unit shifters on here.

Again, this is a band with a plan, a well oiled machine that knows its place. ‘Senjutsu’ is safe and collectors will welcome it into their set. There isn’t a bad track here, but there aren’t any that particularly jump out either.

It will be interesting now to see how many tracks make their way into the live show moving forward. Given we said that the album stands as a whole, perhaps full album shows are deserved here. One way or another these songs will come to life and as always with this band will take on new life once unleashed live.

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Read our review of Download Pilot Festival