Vol. 91
Follow us on Social Media
Categories
Full Pelt Magazine
Tag: Music
Categories
Malevolence
Where Only The Truth Is Spoken
Follow us on Social Media
MALEVOLENCE – Where Only The Truth Is Spoken – ALBUM REVIEW
Nobody can accuse rising Sheffield noisemakers Malevolence of being a flash in the pan, overnight success. The group have been slugging away for well over a decade now and have earned their stripes.
But something magical has been happening in recent times and they are on the cusp of very big things indeed. There secret set at Download was one of the most talked about sets of the weekend and they have their biggest headline shows coming up.
They just have the small matter of a new album to navigate before then. These things can be make or break when it comes to momentum, just ask a plethora of previous big metal hopes. So, can ‘Where Only The Truth Is Spoken’ live up to the hype?
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘SO HELP ME GOD’
Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!
Quick and easy review this one, because spoiler alert – it undeniably can. The album is certain to push for the top spot on any metal album of the year lists and is quality from front to back.
Is there anything truly groundbreaking on this album? No. But that’s what makes it so special. At a time when every heavy act is trying to follow in the footsteps of certain contemporaries, Malevolence have shown that there is also strength in sticking to what you’re already good at.
There is a more classic metal influence on show compared to the increasingly generic modern metal sound. The hardcore sway over that sound increases the adrenaline and ensures that these songs are going to go off when played live.
There’s not much else to say really… just go and listen to this for yourself and metallers rejoice because your new obsession can absolutely live up to the hype!
Share this review on Social Media
Categories
YUNGBLUD
Idols
Follow us on Social Media
YUNGBLUD – idols – album review
“Hello” – Yes, hello YUNGBLUD how are you? What’s that you say, you have a new album out called, ‘Idols’? Nice, let’s have a listen, shall we?
In a world dominated by shortform media and even shorter attention spans it’s refreshing to see a popular artist start their new album with a nine-minute epic such as ‘Hello Heaven, Hello’! Whilst this is a track which includes the word Hello a whopping 114 times, it’s also a pretty damn good try at an old school rock opera.
This sums up the juxtaposition of YUNGBLUD perfectly. On the surface something of an easy target for critics, but deep down an artist able to produce quality tunes of real substance. Yes, the repetitive Hello’s may be meme-worthy, but the track itself is the perfect way to kick off what is a highly ambitious collection.
Over the course of twelve expansive tracks, YUNGBLUD gets to live out his childhood rock n roll fantasy with plenty of show and a healthy level of attitude. That signature swagger is channelled through these songs and results in a typical love it or hate it scenario for the singer.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘HELLO HEAVEN, HELLO’
Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!
The heart and soul that has clearly gone into this album however should shine through against even the harshest critic – as long as they actually listen to the record. The album took four years to make and not all of that could’ve been spent singing “hello”. In all seriousness though, the level of care shown on this album is respectable.
YUNGBLUD is a special talent with a unique skillset and this album shows a genuine evolution from an artist very clearly capable of stirring emotion and captivating imaginations.
Comparisons are obvious to the likes of Queen and The Who for this record, and you could argue that it lacks that trademark YUNGBLUD charm. The reality is though for an album where so much risk has been taken, the rewards absolutely outweigh any imperfections.
So, yeah, hello YUNGBLUD – your album’s pretty good!
Share our review on Social Media
Categories
HAIM
I quit
Follow us on Social Media
HAIM – I QUIT – ALBUM REVIEW
HAIM are back with their fourth studio album, ‘I quit’, and as the opening narrative of ‘Gone’ suggests the band can be found in a defiant mood. Seemingly unshackling themselves from their past and the expectations that follow and sowing the seeds for the next phase of their career.
This is a career that has already established the trio as a top tier talent and you can sense a respect for what’s brought them to the dance on this record, but with a heavy dose of wanting to do things their own way.
The album features a predominant soft rock sound with folkish elements creeping in as well. As the UK embraces a Britpop Summer, this album will fit in very nicely with the aesthetics of that scene.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘RELATIONSHIPS’
Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!
It really does feel apt that this album is being released as the UK experiences a heatwave because it certainly possesses some summer vibes. You can just picture a sun-soaked festival crowd or indeed a family BBQ with the tunes spinning in the background as you chill.
The likes of lead single ‘Relationships’ ensure that there are some moments which will last but overall, you don’t get the impression that this is a game-changing record for the sisters. It feels too much of a tired cliché to say that they are resetting themselves on ‘I quit’ but you can’t help but feel there is some cleansing being done.
Ultimately this is a very solid listen, and fans of the band will feel at home with these songs. There is a reason why HAIM continue to enjoy the success that they do – they are rather quite talented!
Share this review on Social Media
Categories
Full Pelt Magazine
Vol. 90
Follow us on Social Media
Categories
Download Festival
Donington Park
13-15 June 2025
Follow us on Social Media
DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL 2025 – the big review
After a washout of a year last year, those making the annual pilgrimage to Donington Park this year were checking the weather forecasts regularly. Would it be scorching? Would there be storms? Rain? Snow? The forecasters had us prepared for anything this weekend.
As always though as we enter the hallowed grounds of Download Festival, we are prepared to rock! For over twenty years now this monster event has welcomed the best of the alternative scene for a weekend of revelry and kickass music and 2025 on paper looks no different.
The arena itself though does look a little different. The now standard layout remains the same, but everyone is quick to notice and appreciate the upgrades in toilets and a few other little touches such as a screen outside the Avalanche Stage and the new fancy video totems on the main stage.
FRIDAY
The weather on Friday is hot, hot, hot… so it’s nice to start our weekend off in a tent! Karen Dio is a bundle of energy as she opens proceedings on the Avalanche Stage. The early crowd enjoy every moment of her short but sweet set and Download Festival 2025 is a go!
The line-up across the Avalanche Stage this week is great and features some of the best young bands on the scene. One of the most exciting is next as unpeople bring the riffs and the audience bring the party as we get into full swing today.
After a quick sojourn over to the main stage where CKY bring back memories of Tony Hawk games and teenage tomfoolery. The current line-up continues to defy the odds and as the sun beats down, they get the vocal cords of another crowded year warmed up.
There’s plenty of singing to be done next as we return to the Avalanche tent for Scottish breakouts Dead Pony. The likes of ‘MK Nothing’, ‘RAINBOWS’ and ‘MANA’ have the crowd repeating every word and the band can leave the stage knowing that they’ve smashed their opportunity.
Speaking of smashing opportunities and it’s back to the main stage for Boston Manor. Wow. The boys from Blackpool read the assignment and they understood every word. With a busy crowd, the sun shining and the beers flowing, Boston Manor deliver the biggest set of the entire weekend.
Every one of the nine tracks is delivered with passion and energy and the audience give the band everything that they have. This is just goosebump inducingly good. This set is one of those moments that you have to stand back and take in. It’s one of those moments in which a band solidifies their future and ensures that when they return, they will be playing even higher up the bill!
The run now on the main stage will become the stuff of legend and Rise Against are next up. A band who can be a little hit or miss, especially with their festival sets are fully on top of their game today. Blasting out the likes of ‘Prayer of the Refugee’, ‘Satellite’ and closer ‘Savior’, they all sound huge today and Friday is setting a tough measure to follow.
A quick trip for Trophy Eyes on the Avalanche Stage shows that the tent is still in full swing before it’s time for Jimmy Eat World to make their return to Download. Bringing in the likes of ‘My Best Theory’ and ‘Get It Faster’ helps their set to flow and of course ‘The Middle’ presents one of the biggest moments of the festival.
The nostalgic feel continues next with the ever-delightful Weezer bringing hits such as ‘Hash Pipe’, ‘Beverly Hills’ and ‘Buddy Holly’ to the main stage crowd. A Download appearance is a long overdue thing for the band and their first time didn’t disappoint.
Download Festival debuts is the Friday night theme and we can’t help but check out McFly in the Avalanche tent next. The crowd is expectedly large, if considerably smaller than Busted last year. McFly mix some snippets of rock classics amongst their own hit songs and those gathered have a whale of a time.
The biggest and longest overdue Download Festival debut however is reserved for our Friday night headliners Green Day. There is a real sense of occasion as the band hit the stage, and you feel that this is a true moment in time for the festival.
When a band can begin a performance with a run of ‘American Idiot’, ‘Holiday’, ‘Know Your Enemy’ and ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams’ and make a two-hour set go by in a flash then you know that they are special.
It’s not often rain is welcomed at Donington but perhaps the moment of the festival is the shower that begins with precision just as Billie Joe sings the line “…Here comes the rain again…” during ‘Wake Me Up When September Ends’!
Green Day’s ability to make a packed field feel like a small venue is a gift and tonight they simply make headlining a major festival look easy. As the fireworks and ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’ close out a fantastic day, we can’t wait to do it all again tomorrow!
SATURDAY
Friday felt big and by comparison Saturday feels a little more subdued. We have a much talked about headline set to come and there are still some exciting acts spread across the stages however.
After a mysterious gap on the Opus stage results in nothing, we start our day as Static Dress continue their ascent up the line-up by opening the main stage. They do their best to wake up a clearly hungover early crowd and can leave knowing they didn’t fluff their lines.
BEX is fully prepared to win over a docile pre-midday audience in the Avalanche stage and brings her infectious energy and a couple of “Big BEX” colleagues to get the crowd engaged. Her short set is a resounding success, and the future looks very bright for an act Full Pelt have highlighted since the beginning.
Two more such exciting young acts, VENUS GRRRLS and Split Chain sandwich some hardcore icons on the main stage. Hatebreed cause chaos with their brutal set, but it’s both the two younger acts that really show themselves as ready to step up next.
Another set that will stand the test of time and prove to be a defining career milestone is that of Poppy on the main stage. The sort of act that old school Download Festival attendees would’ve bottled relentlessly, Poppy is incredible this afternoon. Even the most hardened sceptics in the audience appear to be won over by a superb set.
AWOLNATION are our next stop off over on the Opus stage and they lean heavily on their breakthrough record, ‘Megalithic Symphony’ much to the delight of the crowd. ‘Sail’ naturally provides another one of those big moments.
Teen Mortgage are good fun in the Dogtooth tent before we catch the beginning of Smash Into Pieces on the Avalanche stage. They say dress for the job that you want and not the one you have – well Smash Into Pieces bring a show ready for the main stage and the crowd love it today.
For a number of years fans have clamoured for Don Broco to be given a logo spot on the main stage. Those fans knew that the band could own such a slot and to nobody’s surprise that’s exactly what the band do. In a similar vein to Boston Manor yesterday, the band know what they need to do today, and they simply smash it.
Shinedown next are given a big opportunity to step up to sub-headline the main stage. We remember first seeing them low down the bill in 2009 and since then they’ve worked their way up the line-up. With a performance and show like they deliver today, you wouldn’t put it past them one day topping the whole thing!
A unique experience is on offer next as festival favourite Frank Carter is back. Not with his Rattlesnakes however, nor one of his other past bands but instead with the legendary Sex Pistols! Present day John Lydon may not endorse this collaboration but a rammed full Opus stage at Download Festival most certainly does.
Speaking of unique experience, a different sort of experience is next as Sleep Token act as a beacon for all young acts that says that headlining is not unattainable. The rise or even explosion of Sleep Token is a refreshing phenomenon and the volume of their t-shirts on parade this weekend show that they deserve this shot.
They are however something of a marmite band and those that love them, really love them and if you don’t “get it” then you actively seek to tear them down. Their set this weekend will only split the crowd even more.
What it is not is the statement that Bring Me The Horizon delivered. It’s also not one of the instantly forgettable sets that have topped the bill. Musically and stylistically the band are captivating. However, those very aesthetics and the whole no audience engagement element of their mystique also make the performance quite inaccessible to those not already clued in.
It’s a shame that the performance doesn’t win universal acclaim because in some ways it needed to. The reality is though that this festival needed to evolve and bring in fresh blood and the fact that Sleep Token were given this chance and they didn’t completely fumble the ball must be seen as a win for the future.
SUNDAY
The heat and the mammoth scale of the festival looks to be taking it’s toll on the audience and the arena is relatively quiet as Sunday gets underway with the mesmerizing Harpy in the Avalanche tent.
After a downpour during Sex Pistols last night, the rain is still lingering this morning which may also mean some stick to the comfort of their tents to sleep off lasts nights fun. Orbit Culture and Archers both bring a crisp brutality to the morning air and do their best to blow away the Sunday morning cobwebs.
Before we get back into our musical entertainment, let’s shout out the food and drink offerings with the new dedicated bars and areas continuing to provide individual feels to the arena. The Guinness bar is a favourite for us and we are won over by Supermac’s who we hope will be back again next year!
Right, back to the music and we are back at the Opus stage for an always visceral Nothing More. The group only have limited time but they undoubtedly make the most of it with the likes of ‘If It Doesn’t Hurt’ showing their ability to enthral and entertain.
The afternoon phase of Sunday is then something of a mixed bag with Vower making the most of their Dogtooth slot, Jinjer doing a good but perhaps slightly underwhelming turn on the main stage, Alien Ant Farm and Jerry Cantrell both delivering alright sets that perhaps dip due to understandable lethargy from the crowd, and a superb House of Protection statement set.
As we head into the final run of bands for the weekend Spiritbox do what they need to do in their big main stage spot and Airbourne do what Airbourne do over on the Opus stage. Neither set will likely prove that memorable, but both are a good time.
The heat this weekend whilst not quite at 2023 levels is certainly a factor in Sunday feeling quite sluggish. Many fans seem exhausted and the bands on offer whilst technically sound lack the ability to grab these fans by the collar and drag them from their stupor – case in point the very good Unprocessed who play to a rather tepid gathering in the Dogtooth tent.
It takes a firm festival favourite like Bullet For My Valentine to get momentum building again and the fans are treated to another run through of their seminal album, ‘The Poison’. Frontman Matt Tuck has never made any bones about his desire to headline, and he makes another bold proclamation at the end of their set. Up until recently you’d have probably laughed this suggestion off but with the band regaining their own momentum and the festival in a new era it’s entirely possible.
Another Welsh group reclaiming their past glories is Kids In Glass Houses and we catch them closing out the fantastic Avalanche stage for the weekend with a crowd-pleasing set.
Then there was one left. Closing out the entire festival are the band that Bullet will be hoping to emulate – Korn. A prime example of a band who lost out when Monsters of Rock died. If a Donington event had existing when Korn were at their peak, then perhaps they would’ve topped the bill before now but at last in 2025 it’s happening!
It seems that every single person at the festival wants to see the band take their opportunity with both hands and that love from the audience erupts as the opening echoes of ‘Blind’ ring around the arena.
A simplistic but effective production means that the band let their songs speak for themselves and as they blast out ‘Here to Stay’, ‘Got the Life’, ‘Clown’ and ‘Did My Time’, the band and audience find themselves in a combined state of euphoria.
A splendid outing for rarity ‘Twisted Transistor’ is a highlight but by the time they bring everything home with ‘Freak on a Leash’ the band have solidified themselves as bonified headliners at a festival that they are synonymous with.
There is perhaps no better way to finish the weekend and close the chapter on another Download Festival. This year’s will last long in the memory and is up there with the best. For the diehard attendees, Download Festival is their diary marker that they plan their year around. So the question now turns to who will make their mark next year?
Share our review on Social Media
Categories
snake eyes
Waterfront Studio, Norwich
Wednesday 11th June 2025
Follow us on Social Media
snake eyes – norwich – live review
📸(c) Denis Gorbatov
The sun may be out and festival season may well be upon us, but there are still plenty of great gigs happening in venues across the country. Tonight, a group of clued in music fans file into the Waterfront Studio in Norwich for one such gig!
Grassroots venues such as this are a proving ground for young bands and tonight fans will get to witness three such groups looking to insert their names into the hearts and minds of attendees.
AMOURETTE
First up on the compact stage is the local opener Amourette who bring a refreshingly reckless abandon with them. The four-piece have a youthful exuberance which brings their punky rockers to life and gets the venue ready for what’s to come.
Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!
RAD PITT
Soon enough it’s time for our next act to hit the stage; or at least some of them! Rad Pitt have journeyed from Essex to make an enormous racket of hypnotic math rock marvel.
Spreading themselves off the stage and onto the dancefloor, the band conjure something of a joyous chaos to the delight and/or bemusement of those in the venue. Their set is tremendously entertaining and just pure riotous fun. Where else would you want to be on a Wednesday night?
SNAKE EYES
Finally, we arrive at our headliners snake eyes who have been making a name for themselves with their support and festival slots in recent times. A steady stream of infectious singles has momentum on their side and this headline tour is a big step for the duo.
They kickstart their set with the brilliant ‘lean’, and recent Full Pelt Single of the Week ‘jar full of wasps’, and already they have the crowd in the mood for a good night. The duo proceeds to deliver just that with a selection of rocky riffs and poppy hooks.
Having previously performed live as a three-piece, its noteworthy that the duo don’t miss a beat and are still highly captivating throughout their time on stage.
Fellow newer tracks ‘hdtv’ and ‘hug me’ are highlights in what is a superb performance before popular tracks ‘scuttlebug’ and ‘skeletons’ receive a highly appreciative response from the audience.
You can’t help but leave the venue excited about what the future holds for snake eyes, who have proven themselves tonight as one of the hottest young bands on the scene.
When looking at the evening as a whole, you can’t fault any of the bands, the venue is a great and life is good. Live music brings incredible joy to many music lovers, and you really should head to your local venue. And if any of these bands are playing? You’d better be there!
Share our review on Social Media
Categories
Full Pelt Magazine
Vol. 89
Follow us on Social Media
Categories
Volbeat
God Of Angels Trust
Follow us on Social Media
VOLBEAT – gods of angels trust – album review
The longest gap between releases in their prolific career, throat surgery for singer Michael Poulsen and the departure of Rob Caggiano after a decade with the band. It’s safe to say that new album ‘Gods of Angels Trust’ invites intrigue for Volbeat.
How will they sound, what will they deliver and is the magic still there? Three pre-release singles whet the appetite suitably that the fundamental elements of the band were still present and correct. Not least their ability to conjure ridiculous songs titles – ‘In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom’ anybody?!
The album as a whole unsurprisingly follows very succinctly the path furrowed by these singles. Indeed, no moulds have been broken or even redesigned really on this latest record.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘By a monster’s hand’
Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!
Nine albums in and it is becoming somewhat predictable what the formula will be for Volbeat albums, some delicious riffs, plenty of catchy choruses, a heavy aesthetic and some fun Johnny Cash vibes.
What this album does well though is capture each aspect of their signature sound and deliver it with professional ease. Given the pressures created by the issues highlighted at the start of this article, it’s probably a smart move by the band to re-solidify themselves with their fanbase.
It would’ve been nice however to have seen some more substantial evolution given the passage of time and events of the past few years. Oh well, this is Volbeat doing Volbeat and doing it proficiently.
Share this review on Social Media
Categories
Pulp
More
Follow us on Social Media
PULP – MORE – ALBUM REVIEW
As they toured the UK in 2023, Pulp debuted a new track, ‘The Hymn of the North’ and set in motion the foundations of a new record. Joining together to record that new album in late 2024, the iconic band teamed with prolific producer James Ford and delivered eleven tracks in quickfire time.
Those tracks combine now as their eighth studio album, ‘More’. This album though is their first in twenty-four long years! It’s a different world now and in particular the music industry itself has moved on greatly… for better or worse.
Can a band that never fully fit into any pigeonholes during their own time, create something able to do their legacy justice all this time later?
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR ‘SPIKE ISLAND’
Find Full Pelt Music on YouTube!
Helpfully, the band have bucked the trend of releasing eighty percent of the album in advance! Only lead single and opening track ‘Spike Island’, and the rousing ‘Got to Have Love’ have given an indication of what to expect and that is really how it should be.
Listening to ‘More’ for the first time is therefore something of a sensory overload and you’ll need a good few listens to pick up on all of the nuances, bells and whistles. Overarchingly though this is Pulp being the eccentric oddities that they’ve always been and for old school fans of the band that results in a magical collection of unique sounds.
Frontman Jarvis Cocker exudes charisma throughout and whether serenading us with his trademark vocals or leading us through the stories of this album with his soothing spoken words, it’s reassuring to know that such a special talent can still captivate with the best of them.
That sentiment is what sums up this collection in totality. We didn’t know we needed a new Pulp album in 2025 and ‘More’ won’t be for everyone, but it sure feels great to get lost in a wonderland of quirkiness again.
Share this review on Social Media