Vol. 128
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Full Pelt Magazine
Tag: Album
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Mallavora
‘What If Better Never Comes?’
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MAllavora – What If Better Never Comes? – Album Review
It’s debut album time for Mallavora!
The band have been making a loud noise for a few years now and that noise has made people take notice. This is a band with a vision and an engrained belief system. This is a band that strives to do things their way; so why would their debut record be any different?
The Bristolian four-piece have developed an alt-metal sound which is deeply engaging and a lyrical identity that is emotively captivating. With an album giving them more space to explore themselves, it’s no surprise that over the course of the thirteen tracks and near fifty minutes they are able to truly bring their vision to life.
Watch the video for ‘WASTE’
This is a record that is packed full of vulnerability and defiance in equal measure. Personal experiences and the overarching need to navigate the modern world loom large and are delivered in an immediate and relatable manner.
Considering the shortness of attention spans these days and the noted length of the record, perhaps an argument could be made to trim the record down slightly, but that’s not the Mallavora way.
This is grandiose by design and that’s demonstrated best by the nine-minute closing epic that is the title-track of the album, ‘What If Better Never Comes?’. The band wants you to live this record with them, to feel it with them and as far as first attempts go you have to say that this is a great opening salvo.
Make note of the name, because for Mallavora this is only the beginning!
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The Pale White
‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’
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The Pale white – Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century – album review
Newcastle alt-rock brothers The Pale White aren’t afraid to plough their own furrow. Over the past decade they’ve honed their craft, dabbling with various styles all connected via the rock family tree.
Unafraid to try something new and experiment with their sound, the duo has already released two uniquely curated albums and are now back with another effort which is very much of it’s time both lyrically and within the context of their continued sonic evolution.
‘Inanimate Objects of the 21st Century’, is a largely conceptual take on the fact that the world continues to embrace technological advances in lieu of human connection and experience.
Take standout single, ‘Absolute Cinema’ as exhibit A with the track taking aim at our lazy consumption of film via streaming platforms as apposed to the full experience of going to an actual cinema.
Listen to ‘ABSOLUTE CINEMA’
The band want us to smell the popcorn, to switch our phones to silent, take in the art in all of its glory and then exit the venue like newly risen zombies as our eyes acclimatise to the light. And that’s exactly what this album does!
There is a rich vein of textures across these carefully crafted songs that ache for you to lock yourself in a dark room away from distraction and actively connect to the music.
Like any good film, the opening introduces you to the subject matter, the aesthetic and the character. The middle of the album then gives you the depth and real story before you are sent home with a big finale.
The end credits of the album come in the shape of a superbly melancholic take on The Everly Brothers’ classic ‘All I Have To Do Is Dream’. While our connection to what makes us human may be disappearing, there are still artists like The Pale White able to make us feel something real!
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Don Broco
‘Nightmare Tripping’
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DON BROCO – NIGHTMARE TRIPPING – ALBUM REVIEW
Nobody can accuse Bedford’s Don Broco of being overnight sensations. Their steady rise began with the release of their debut album fourteen years ago, but following another huge arena tour and prominent festival appearances, nobody can disagree that their stock has never been higher.
Each of their previous four albums has brought about another sonic push and an attached hype increase. The pre-release singles for their fifth effort, ‘Nightmare Tripping’, have again generated much anticipation for the record as a whole and now it’s time for fans to dive in!
Two of those singles, ‘Cellophane’ and ‘Disappear’ kickstart the eleven track album and introduce what is another evolution of their sound. This album is the heaviest of their career so far and is very inline with the on-trend renaissance of nu-metal stylings.
The band have always had their fingers on the pulse and have often been ahead of the curve, so this probably shouldn’t be a surprise. There are obvious influences on this album with a modern Bring Me The Horizon aura blending with a droning Deftones aesthetic to good effect.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘NIGHTMARE TRIPPING’
This is an album that compared to its predecessor, ‘Amazing Things’, is lacking in standout singles but instead is more of a complete package. This is in contrast to the way bands tend to move as their careers deepen, but if you need a big single then the title-track has you covered!
‘Nightmare Tripping’ as a song is simply Don Broco’s signature sound on steroids with Nickelback of all people pushing them to embrace their maniacal side. It’s up there with the best the band have produced, even if the album doesn’t quite pull off the same.
‘True Believers’, featuring Sam Carter of Architects, is another memorable moment, but this is an album that is greater than the sum of its parts. Fans will enjoy exploring this side of the band in greater depth whilst retaining much needed familiarity.
With much of the old guard retiring, the next wave of festival headliners is needed and what this album does for Don Broco is give them more bangers for the setlist but also demonstrates that there is more to them than just catchy singles.
The deeper the band head into their career, the more weight they add to the argument that they got next!
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PET NEEDS
‘Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism’
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PET NEEDS – Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism – Album Review
Colchester punks PET NEEDS grabbed a lot of attention with the charting of their third album, ‘Intermittent Fast Living’, but the truth is that they’ve been building momentum now for the better part of a decade.
Three impressive albums and countless shows have built up a dedicated fanbase and seen them tour around world. Now as they set free their fourth record, ‘Elbows Out! This Is Capitalism’, they take all of this experience and deliver a frank assessment of the industry that they call home.
A key component of the bands charm has always been their innate ability to deliver weapons grade lyrical wit which reflects on the world with astonishing accuracy. Fans will be glad to hear that their collective tongue remains firmly in their cheek and that their alarmingly realistic social commentary is as biting as ever.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘DUCKLINGS’
Across the sixteen tracks and skits, they tell a tale of the band buying a second-hand punk rock career at auction. The entertaining interludes feature friends and icons and help to guide us through this frenetic fable, whilst bringing the core tracks to life in a unique way.
The album tackles many of the clichés present in the insane music industry and that gives us the opportunity to use one of our own, because ‘there really isn’t a bad track on this album’. As much as the lyrics grab your attention, the musical evolution that the band continues to go through is a joy to behold.
There is again a diverse palette of punk-tinged sounds on what is the most complete PET NEEDS record to date. Beyond the pre-release singles, fans will love the likes of ‘Pixels’, ‘The Ship Is Still Sinking’ and ‘Paintballs’ but you can’t help but applaud the love and affection put into the entire album.
This is a band who may be ‘Tour Worn’, but it’s their experience and continued passion that means that they deserve to break through the clichés and challenges of the industry and into your hearts!
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Vol. 127
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Lamb of God
Into Oblivion
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LAMB OF GOD – INTO OBLIVION – ALBUM REVIEW
‘Into Oblivion’ is the tenth album from Lamb of God and finds the band disillusioned with the state of the world and the fact that their county is heading into oblivion with what they term as the rapid breakdown of the social contract.
Lamb of God have always been a band that musically excelled with the bit between their teeth and as they dissect the ills of living in 2026 this is the Lamb of God we get on this album.
That should be enough to excite fans but the pre-release singles for this record also did a decent job of doing just that. A run of the title-track, ‘Parasocial Christ’ and ‘Sepsis’ therefore provide the album with a big start before ‘The Killing Floor’ gets to settle us in.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘into oblivion’
With early 2000’s metal enjoying a renewed spotlight, it’s a good time for the band to sonically revisit their early sound. The fact that this is their milestone tenth record under the Lamb of God name also makes it an apt time for them to reflect on their three decades together.
That’s what this album manages to do so well from a sonic perspective. It captures the essence of their career with nods to their beginnings and expansions of their musical journey blended together to provide a pretty damn good representation not just of Lamb of God in 2026 but of their entire legacy.
‘St. Catherine’s Wheel’ and ‘Blunt Force Blues’ are further highlights, but this is Lamb of God striving to hit their best. They don’t really have anything left to prove but on this album they are proving it anyway!
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The Fray
A Light That Waits
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THE FRAY – A LIGHT THAT WAITS – ALBUM REVIEW
What year is it? I can’t help but feel that I’ve travelled twenty years back in time as I watch new Scrubs on TV and stick a new album from The Fray on my record player (well in 2005 that would’ve been a CD player, but you get the point).
Whilst JD is back guiding us through life at Sacred Heart hospital, there is an obvious gap at the front of The Fray. Lead singer Isaac Slade announced his departure in 2022, so ‘A Light That Waits’ isn’t just their first album in twelve years but it’s also their first with guitarist Joe King on lead vocals.
This presents a mighty challenge for the band if they wish to capture our hearts again. The title-track and ‘Still Got You’ instantly give hope that they can do this however. They have always been a band that tug on your heartstrings and musically this album picks up where they left off.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘ICE COLD LAKES’
They’ve decided not to reinvent the wheel and have stuck with what they know works and work it does. Emotion evoking choruses and easy listening melodies make the eleven tracks and thirty-five minutes flow nicely without causing any offence.
It’s always risky revisiting things we loved in our younger years as they just can’t win. If it’s a carbon copy than it feels like a cheap imitation, but if it dares change too much then it’s just not as good as the original.
With a cast of new characters alongside our favourites Scrubs has managed to straddle this line as well as anything has in the past. There lies the issue with this record though, it’s too safe. Whilst perhaps wise given the change of voice. But King handles his role very well, and that maybe makes this a missed opportunity to grow The Fray into 2026.
Diehard fans will find it easy to get behind this record, and old school fans won’t hate it. It’s unlikely though to generate the desired buzz. A good starting point though for the second coming of The Fray!
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Vol. 126
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YONAKA
‘Until You’re Satisfied’
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YONAKA – UNTIL YOU’RE SATISFIED – ALBUM REVIEW
Despite releasing an EP and a Mixtape in the intervening years, it’s somehow been seven years since YONAKA released their debut album, ‘Don’t Wait ‘Til Tomorrow’, which feels an age ago.
The time is finally here though for the band to unleash their long-awaited sophomore album, ‘Until You’re Satisfied’. A run of pre-release singles has piqued fans ears with a sound reminiscent of their early work which was typified by its passion and urgency.
With the band recording the album without the context of industry pressure, the trio took their time to search themselves individually and collectively to see where the process took them.
The result is an album which thematically is tied to that sense of self-discovery and revelation. The lyrics are open, frank and fraught with the scars that a decade in such a harsh industry will leave.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘PROBLEMS’
There remains however a fierce defiance which ensures that these songs ooze empowerment. YONAKA are unapologetic and it’s marvellous. As the lyrics to ‘Bite The Bullet’ say “…I’ve always had the vision, you just didn’t listen, I’m gonna do it how I like and don’t need your permission…”.
That attitude shines through too in the genre defying sonic gravitas of the album. This feels like a fully energised YONAKA and when they are is this kind of mood, they are unstoppable!
It may have taken awhile for this album to arrive, but the wait is undoubtedly worth it. The pre-release singles may have whet the appetite but the likes of ‘Best Of Me’, ‘Stay A Little While Longer’ and ‘At The Beach’ ensure that ‘Until You’re Satisfied’ is a truly must-listen record.
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