The latest issue of the Full Pelt Magazine is here, and you can download your copy for free below!
Volume 26 features our cover stars Lake Malice as they prepare for their debut headline tour! We also review new albums from Yard Act, Bruce Dickinson, Kaiser Chiefs, Noah and the Loners and Liam Gallagher & John Squire!
Our News Report has all the latest music news including live announcements from Paul Weller, Electric Six, Blood Red Shoes, Black Water County, SOiL, Journey, Blackout Problems, Gen and the Degenerates, Latitude Festival, British Summer Time, Bearded Theory, Tramlines, Cro Cro Land and Attitude Festival!
Plus all the best new releases including Bob Vylan, Twenty One Pilots, Hell Is For Heroes, Oakman, Another Sky, Kid Kapichi, Unpeople, LostAlone, VENUES, One Step Closer, Accept, Chris Shiflett, Kelly Jones, Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, Black Country Communion, halflives, The Zutons, Troy Redfern, Fangclub, James, The K’s, Ho99o9, PJ Harvey and CLT DRP!
Finally, we round up the latest additions to our âDiscoverâ New Music Playlist including Hunter Oliveri, ANIIMALIA and Gamblers!
Itâs been another big revival year for the music industry following the pandemic years, and itâs been another year of growth for us at Full Pelt Music! Weâve reviewed 67 albums, 7 EPâs, 6 festivals and 38 gigs in 2022 as some level of normality or even stability has returned to our industry.
That said, there are still many issues facing the industry with livelihoods, venues and organisations at risk for a plethora of reasons. Whilst government action is required in many places, what we as fans can do is support the industry with our money. Times are tough for us all, but purchasing an album, buying a t-shirt, nabbing a ticket and grabbing a drink whilst at a gig does so much to support the industry that we love.
In our now annual end of year awards weâll be giving out seven hotly contested awards looking at both the recorded and live sides of the industry. Adding to our well established Album of the Year award this year will be the new EP of the Year award. Weâll also once again be revealing our Single of the Year. All awards have seen fierce competition, as once again itâs been a high quality year for new releases.
On the live side of things, weâll announce both our Gig and Festival of the Year awards. This year of course provided our first full calendar of music since 2019! We were able to witness many great performances this year and we canât wait to share with you are favourites.
Lastly weâll look at the artists whoâve had special years as we award our Artist and âDiscoverâ New Artist of the Year awards. So without further ado, letâs work through those award catagories!
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
It has been a truly magnificent year for album releases and getting a spot anywhere in our Top 50 was hard enough but in particular the Top 10 was incredibly tightly fought. You can read the full list here.
âIMPERAâ from Ghost was able to take the crown this year but any of the top 10 couldâve taken that spot. âReelingâ from The Mysterines in particular would likely have won in any other year, but the majesty and magnificence of âIMPERAâ proved unbeatable.
Winner:
âImperaâ by Ghost
The contenders:
âReelingâ by The Mysterines, âFTHCâ by Frank Turner, âSkinty Fiaâ by Fontaines D.C. & âThe Price of Lifeâ by Bob Vylan
Previous Winners:
2021 â âBlue Weekendâ by Wolf Alice 2020 â âUltra Monoâ by IDLES
EP OF THE YEAR
For the first time this year, we are separating EPâs out of our main award and giving them their own pedestal. That alone is the truest compliment to the quality of EPâs on offer this year.
Again, all EPâs in our top 5 are worthy of the number one spot, but itâs âcoming of (r)ageâ from As Sirens Fall that pips it. Catchy as hell single, âheaven (spat us back out)â, helps elevate the release to be crowed our first ever EP of the Year.
Winner:
âcoming of (r)ageâ by As Sirens Fall
The contenders:
âFalse Startâ by James and the Cold Gun, âSCPâ by Oakman, âTyrantsâ by IOTA and âBLACKGOLDâ by BLACKGOLD
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
We look now at our Single or Song of the Year. In considering the award this year weâve considered the ear worms that have stayed with us after live performances. Weâve also pondered which songs instantly struck a chord and created a buzz of excitement for the albums and live shows that would follow.
Songs which fell into both of these considerations competed for the award and it was again a tight decision, but ultimately for us this year âDangerousâ from The Mysterines has not just ticked both boxes but also remained on heavy rotation throughout the year despite being an early arrival in 2022. Thatâs why that track is our 2022 Single of the Year!
Check out the winning single below:
Winner:
âDangerousâ by The Mysterines
The contenders:
âTalk Hard’ by Jamie Lenman, âComplianceâ by Muse, âWicked Waysâ by Halestorm, âSpillwaysâ by Ghost
Previous Winners:
2021 â âTest of our Resolveâ from Press To MECO 2020 – âObeyâ by Bring Me The Horizon feat. Yungblud
FESTIVAL OF THE YEAR
2022 was the first full festival season since 2019 and what a return it was. All eyes were on Glastonbury once again, British Summer Time curated a stunning line-up, Download Festival breathed fire and 2000trees was able to remind everyone whatâs so great about smaller festivals.
Our winner this year though is Reading & Leeds who went big, sold out and delivered an action packed weekend even with the huge loss of Rage Against The Machine amongst others. Always a perennial contender for this award, 2022 felt like the year the event reclaimed its identity.
Glastonbury Festival, British Summer Time, Download Festival, 2000trees Festival
Previous Winners:
2021 â Download Pilot Festival 2020 â Wild Fields Festival
GIG OF THE YEAR
Weâve reviewed many gigs this year but in reality there could only ever be one winner. Rammsteinâs tour is less of a concert and more of an experience; one that everyone, fan of the band or not, should experience at least once.
Beyond that there was still some incredible, top tier gigs in 2022 and our contenders are all worthy of glory, but Rammstein are currently on a whole different level.
Royal Blood @ O2 Arena, London, Ghost @ Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, Muse @ Eventim Apollo Hammersmith, London, The Killers @ Carrow Road, Norwich, The Hella Mega Tour @ London Stadium, London, Creeper @ Roundhouse, London, Idlewild @ O2 Kentish Town Forum, London
Previous Winners:
2021 â Bring Me The Horizon @ O2 Arena, London 2020 â Frank Turner @ Arboretum, Nottingham
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Artist of the Year now and for this award we look for somebody who has had a huge, perhaps even career-defining year. Previous winners Frank Turner and Biffy Clyro have done so by delivering incredible feats, far above the norm.
This year was a big year for many acts, but weâve gone for Bring Me The Horizon as a band that have had a career-defining twelve months. Long tipped as festival headliners at a major event, many felt that the time would never come for one of the best live bands on the planet. Big releases, sold-out tours, no matter what the group did they never seemed to be given that torch, that is until this year!
Watching Bring Me The Horizon step up and headline at Reading & Leeds this summer felt like a real moment, not just for the band but for the whole scene. For any metal band, let alone one once considered so unfashionable to headline the biggest festivals in the UK is massive.
Already announced to finally headline Download Festival in 2023, 2022 will forever be linked for Bring Me The Horizon to taking that final career-defining set. Throw in their genre-defying collaboration with Ed Sheeran, 2022âs Artist of the Year had to be Bring Me The Horizon.
Winner:
Bring Me The Horizon
The contenders:
Ghost, Rammstein, Biffy Clyro, Muse
Previous Winners:
2021 â Biffy Clyro 2020 â Frank Turner
âDISCOVERâ NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
As a publication we always want to put new music at the heart of what we do, and thatâs why our final award is perhaps our most important! Our âDiscoverâ New Artist of the Year is awarded to the act weâve chosen to highlight on our âDiscoverâ New Music Playlist and Podcast who we feel has made the biggest impact this year.
At the beginning of 2022 we put the spotlight on new Colchester act PET NEEDS as they continued to promote their debut album, âFractured Party Musicâ. From that point on the band never looked back with a world tour, a second album (‘Primtime Entertainment’) and a sold out hometown show all under their belts.
They even found the time to become the first (and only at the time of writing) band to progress from our âDiscoverâ New Music Podcast and appear on The Full Pelt Music Podcast! Yes, fighting off some stiff competition for the âDiscoverâ New Artist of the Year award in 2022 is PET NEEDS!
Winners:
PET NEEDS
The Contenders:
BERRIES, As Sirens Fall, Oakman, James and the Cold Gun, Daytime TV, MOSKITO
Previous Winners:
2020 â Miss Vincent
So, thatâs it! Another year in the record books, itâs been another difficult year and it has again been particularly tough on the music industry. That said, weâve had a full year of live music for the first time since 2019 and the creative juices remain flowing with some absolutely stunning new releases over the past twelve months.
Below you can enjoy some of our favourite gig photos of the year courtesy of our wonderful photographer Denis!
All đ¸ (c) Denis Gorbatov / Full Pelt Music
We hope youâve enjoyed our The Year in Review 2022 and we wish you a very Happy New Year. Hereâs hoping 2023 is a good one!
Speaking also of special one off London shows, this week saw the return of We Are The Ocean who revealed that they will play at OMEARA in the capital this October!
Within Temptation debut video for ‘Don’t Pray For Me’
We move our News Report on now to the best music releases from the past week and begin with the new video from Within Tempation. You can check out ‘Don’t Pray For Me’, above.
Vocalist Sharon den Adel comments: ââDonât Pray For Meâ strives against forcing beliefs and fears onto others and bears witness to being acceptive of everyoneâs own journey. It is an anthem about coming to terms with the fact that beliefs can be fluid, multiple or frankly: different. The song is about allowing people to pursue their own destiny.â
Finally our News Report concludes the week’s releases with the new single from Skid Row. Listen to their latest track, ‘Tear It Down’, above.
ââTear It Downâ is about breaking down barriers, because coexisting isnât about building walls, itâs about getting rid of them.â â Rachel Bolan
Bristol-based rock five-piece IOTA share their new single, ‘Take It’.
Speaking about the single, the band reveal, âTake It was inspired by the fight with yourself in a multitude of circumstances, work, relationships, socially and mentally. The continuum of holding yourself back and having this other side to yourself that is constantly telling you, âyou arenât good enough, you wonât make anything of yourselfâ.
The persistent reminder of how well everyone else is doing, social media controlling us and having a huge effect on us mentally. Constantly taking that push back and battling with your own mind as if it is a whole other person inside of you.
We wrote the song during and before lockdown with Lee Kiernan who helped us build on the track instrumentally and melodically.â
Rosen Bridge – ‘Watchers’
UK Metal outfit Rosen Bridge make their return with a punishing new offering titled âWatchersâ. The Welsh originated 5-piece have teamed up with vocalist Jot Maxi of the formidable Hacktivist on the track.
âWe were privileged to have Jot Maxi feature on the track having been huge fans of Hacktivist for some time. The song continues the sound weâve established in our recent singles, pairing an intense heaviness with big melodic moments. We enjoyed experimenting with lots of dark electronic sounds in the track as well, with platinum producer Andrew Wade bringing the cohesiveness we needed in the final mixâ â Alex Woodall, vocalist.
“It’s crazy that they (Rosen Bridge) approached me to feature on a song that’s about corruption within organised religion because I actually spent the first 26 years of my life in a cult! In fact, I didn’t find the true God of the bible until very recently… So, directing my verse against false, man-made and twisted religions that are designed to glorify humans instead of God was very natural for me, as I obviously have a lot of passion for the subject!â â Jot Maxi of Hacktivist.
Trashed – ‘Memories’
Bristol-based emo punk-rock three-piece Trashed have released their new single âMemoriesâ, the third single taken from their debut full-length album due later this year.
Speaking about the single, the band state, âMemories came together very quickly. Itâs about trying too hard to let go of someone while your brain clings tighter and tighter to them. Of course written during a dose of heartbreak Jimmy was going through, itâs relatable and sincere⌠and will probably stick in your head like heartache does.â