State Azure "80s Ambient Reinventions" (2024)

 

 

Further exploring the "inconsequential" landscape of Psybient and Cosmic Ambience music has led me back to State Azure, an artist with a distinct approach to acute minimalism, crafting ambient tunes that simply captivating one in its moment only. 80s Ambient Reinventions caught my attention for its inspirations. Five big hits from the decade past, re-spun by glossy keyboard synths to linger in a incidental space.

 

The record starts steady, gradually building. Brief echos of motifs and melodies guide the music, borrowed from the original songs. As the album progress track by track, so to does its connection to the original source, deepening that connection. Opening with Save A Prayer, inspired Berlin School arpeggios drone in a melodic trance, propelled by a lean and hard percussive force. So to does With Love Comes Quickly.

 

Running Up That Hill and In The Air Tonight play soother cuts, calming renditions. The latter extracts distinctions like the 80s epic lead guitars and classic gated tom sound, pivoting them into an atmosphere roll. The enigmatic chords of the song linger in the fold, completely reshaping the original. Its a wonderful creation. So too is another 80s classic, Tears For Fears' timeless hit, Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

 

This one feels closest to its origin, the melodies play distinct, with similar aesthetics, yet appear spaced out, slowly merging closer together as the song grows its layers. This measured build up creates tension, an anticipation for some sort of crescendo that never arrives. Its my favorite of the five! Feeling like an endearing echo of the songs spirit, observed across time and space itself. A wonderful little record!

 

Rating: 7/10 

Blood Incantation "Timewave Zero" (2022)

Curious to hear more of Blood Incantation's fresh and exciting take on the tired Death Metal genre, Timewave Zero shocked me with its radical shift to a sound I'm fond of, perhaps even obsessed with! Comprised of two songs, both split into four movements, It wasn't to long into Io's dramatic shadowy tensions, did I realize this was no gradual build up to an eruption extreme metallic aggression. This was in fact an Ambient piece of work, dialed to a gravitational degree between the dark, eerie side of the genre and my beloved Cosmic Ambience. I knew immediately I would enjoy this record.

 

Devoid of any vivid animations, both halves play adrift of dramatic event or suggestive theatrics. The music stay resolute in a gentle journeying through its tensions and suggestions. To my ears, both Io and Ea explore similar deviations from their original impressions. Subtle arpeggios drone with a touch of Berlin School, swells of brooding ambiguity emerge and sullen synth strings yearn within its lengthy progressions.

 

Io feels like the "spacier" half, capturing a mystique devoid of intent yet both dangerous and mesmerizing, the strange allure of cosmic wonders visible only where no eyes wander. I find this sentiment mirrored in its fantastic cover art. A inhospitable landscape orbiting a giant red sun. Ea feels a touch more animated, as if observing similar places which have a history of failed life. Its touches of murmuring voices, Dungeon Synth and acoustic guitar give a sense of cultural echo to the astral sight seeing, Its fourth and final movement melting all this suggestion into a dense swell. This record fits perfectly into my growing collection of ambient works.

 

Rating: 7/10

My Day At Sunday Download Festival 2025

Its been six years since I last visited Donnington! What has the pandemic robbed me of? My hesitancy to return to live music feels like a lost opportunity, yet to experience such magic to begin with is a blessing. Magic is what my Sunday at Download gave back, a much needed reminder of the incredible times live performances muster. The day started with Kneckbreaker in the tent, Orbit Culture and Bleed From Within on the mainstage. I caught Municipal Waste and Malevolence too, however the follow were the real highlights of my day.

Amira Elfeky
One from the current wave of BMTH inspired Djent Pop Metal, Amira immediately caught my ear with her pristine voice. I found myself unsure of her authenticity, listening carefully to her breathy articulations between singing. It was no backing track. She just sounded like a studio recording live. Utterly impressive and with such easily enjoyable music, it made for a great show to follow up on.

Power Trip
My first mosh of the day. It had been a minute since I last heard there revival Thrash stomps! With pounding drums and choppy guitars chugging in perfect synchronicity, their grooves were infectious! Not to mention new vocalist Seth Gilmore did a fine job as their new frontman.

Meshuggah
God of metal, masters of my primordial rhythmic soul, It doesn't matter how many times I've seen them, it never feels like enough. This was my "loose yourself" moment, a feeling adored many times over the years. Go wild and bang your head and disappear. That will always happen with Meshuggah. Lethargica on the setlist was a niche touch and ending with Demiurge had me hyped up!

Spiritbox

Seeing them for the third time this year blunted the excitement a tad but that mid day sunshine can be brutal! Melting in the sun, I found myself watching other go wild and having a great time. I got my slice of that earlier in the year. The performance was excellent, It feels like they are on track to become one of metals premier names if they keep pumping out gold.

Lorna Shore

There is nothing quite like an impressive performance to win you over. I liked these guys, but seeing the musical virtuoso in the flesh was something else! The dazzling fluorescent sunburst guitar of Adam De Micco highlighting his incredible melodic through lines. It was also a delight to see them take my least favoured aspect of the music seriously. The breakdowns, exchanging cheeky grins at the sheer absurdity of these stunts was nice to see they don't take themselves seriously.

Novelists

Spotify had recently exposed me to this group. They have some charming songs. With a delayed start, I was delighted to catch them in the tent. Camille Contreras has a lively stage presence and hearing a few familiar tunes between others made for an entertaining set.

Fit For An Autopsy

New to my ears, this band absolutely slapped. You could tell from the crowd reaction they had something to offer. The rhythmic chops caught my ears, an amazing chemistry between guitar and drums that had be head banging like mad. To my unaccustomed ears, they sound like a Post-Deathcore crossover with Lamb Of God and splashes of Gojira. Really impressive, I will be getting into this one!

Korn

Fortunately, I'd seen Korn just last summer, otherwise my heart would of been torn. One of the few bands that always tug hard on the heartstrings, I caught some of my favorite songs in the first seven or so I stuck around for. I could have easily spent my night in the pit, loosing my mind again but alas there was one more act to see. They were phenomenal, a powerhouse ready to put on a show. It sounded great, I rocked out hard but had to move on.

Sikth

Legendary within my friendship circle, Sikth were a one of a kind local band who we saw at our very first Download Festival before they parted ways shortly after. I caught them sound checking at the beginning of the day. They sounded great. It felt only right to see them conclude the night in the tent, putting on a mightily energetic show to a meager crowd of less than a thousand peeps. I thoroughly enjoyed it. No regrets!

Hunt The Dinosaur "Nefarious" (2025)

 

Nefarious made quite the excitable splash upon impact. With my apatite shaped for the lighter sides of music, a throwback to playful extremities was on the cards. Despite having had my fun, repetition has exposed novelty as Hunt The Dinosaur's "over the top" fusion of Metalcore, Djent and rapid fire Rap screams runs its coarse. Sadly, this brief record fails to carve out a classic like Destructo from its octane insanity.

Across its six cuts we are bombarded by barbaric thumps of sound. Low end eight string guitar pound assaulting grooves between splashes of dissonant guitar noise. Snarling screams spit spiteful lyrics, occasionally hurtling into sprints of the distinct memorable shout raps. Lyrics play with foul themes and periodically reference classic Rap one liners and motifs. Ferocious drums rattle like a raging beast, foaming at the mouth, holding firm grooves, then sporadically hurtling into dizzying blast beats. Wedged between it all, alien dystopian synth occasional meld unusual textures, a subtle dressing often understated and easy to overlook among the ravaging madness.

My main takeaway is a lack of memorability. A lack of songwriting fails to land hooks and riffs in a way that sticks. Instead, Nefarious feels like a ceaseless barrage of ideas aimless assembled together, unable to forge a bigger picture beyond the sum of its parts. That, or perhaps I am growing tired of this Post-Deathcore race to the bottom.

Rating: 4/10

Hundredth "Fadded Splendor" (2025)

Shock and awe ensues, as sequenced drum machines and a burly haze of dreamy distortions descend upon the listener. Breaking for a bold singular baseline and tender vulnerable voicing, the sunny emotive sways of Curve had me wondering, which band is this? Last time I checked in with Hundredth, they were reveling in a Post-Rock breed of Shoegazing and Alternative Rock. The latter two genres could describe Fadded Splendor but on this endeavor the band shimmy to the other end of the spectrum. Exploring simple pop harmonies and structures they often skirting that defining wall of sound energy in favor of clear and catchy rhythmic lines.

 

 With Curve and All The Way, the band happily deploy electronic percussion fondly reminiscent of a post Jimmy Chamberlin Smashing Pumpkins'. Hovering up many 90s influences in its stride, much of that distinct Billy Corgan influence pervades in its sentimental side, as the gentler cuts play up evocative vocal croons against Etheral backdrops, ever playing with the beautiful melancholy. Other songs revel in an upbeat energetic charge, pulling dancable motifs from Indie Rock. Never tho do these ideas converge in one moment but serve as complimenting chapters of the journey.

 

Fadded Splendor is a fair stride forward, territory not to dissimilar from Rare's makings. A few songs stand tall among a variety of numbers to give fans of different flavors their pickings. It may be the weather but its emotive sentiment seems perfect for the hot weather, however I could equally picture them feeling cozy in the winter seasons. I love that suggestive power of music... ultimately its up to the listener!

 

 Rating: 7/10

Turnstile "Never Enough" (2025)

 

Dissecting sounds with an analytical scalpel, one can cut critiques upon a lack of overt musical progression. Deploying another bout of their softened hardcore power chord strum sections, recycled riffs and gently expanding the textural pallet their ever emerging keys offer, do Turnstile hit upon a moment of stagnation?

The answer is a firm no, familiarity its welcome weapon. Upon initial impact, the persuasive power of its uplifting dreamy sun soaked moods settle in. The analytics of its simplistic appeals are an after thought. Where Turnstile have excelled is reveling in the vibe, as if they have dug deep to unearth a charm that was resonating all along.

Masked by established conventions, each songs character emerges from its subtle sways of 80s nostalgia. Dream Pop and Shoegaze play on obvious veneers, with other flavors of the era woven in through additional instrumentation. Saxophones and Trumpets occasion between the dazzling shimmer of pedal driven guitar chords.

Never Enough is a familiar beast dialed down to linger on these influences and the vocal energy of Brenden Yates’ soaring soft-side. He frequently charms, his words oozing off a cruising, catchy deliveries that reinforce the feel good sentiment. Oddly, its bursts of raucous Hardcore energy serve to break up the calmer tangents.

The records pacing is sublime. Tracks flow from one revel to another, continually refreshing its breezy tone that sails between those Hardcore sprints and shoegazy bursts of beachy surf rock guitar chords. These musical ideas never complicate and thus simple tunes, melodies and chemistries get to linger briefly at our pleasure.

Vibes is the word of this album. The power of simplicity its champion. Everything feels like a bottled moment in time. Turnstile in a stride, yet pausing to capture the magic. From first spin it won me over. Now on a binge, I feel Ive found the soundtrack to my summer. Heart felt expressions, cozy feel good vibes and bursts of manic energy.

Rating: 8/10

Amos Roddy "Minecraft: Chase The Skies (Original Game Soundtrack)" (2025)

 

Admittedly, I've waited until the drop name had been unveiled to write my thoughts. With that extended exposure, its become clear that Amos Roddy expands on the delightful work of Aaron Cherof, one of my favorite contributions. Dreamy wistful melodies, straddling the serine, conjure introspective moods. Illusive instruments, lurching on the heels of echo and reverberation, blossom into flourishing strides of soothing melody. Reflective of life's passing beauties, these moments swell and pass by, just like many moments that make a memory. Its evocative, nostalgic, a slow brew who's boil creeps up on you. Ghostly pianos, yearning strings, stealthy sunlight synths and brooding atmospheric pads, melding through exquisite composure.

 That's the magic of its five opening pieces. For the Nether, we get another bop! Tears bangs with its quirky melodies of impish fright! Pitch shifted Ghast sounds wedge haunting, spooky arrangements between the crunchy strident groove of its meaty kick drum and snappy snare sway. The concept makes itself known swiftly, repeating again after a mid track melody suggests the presence of a player on adventure. Its a fun and obvious hit, yet perhaps the simplest of offerings on display here.

Rating: 6/10 

Magdalena Bay "Mercurial World" (2021)

Dynamic duo Magdalena Bay are swiftly becoming a fascination. Stepping back in time from their ambitious, progressive Killing Time, this debut, Mercurial World, simply plays as a string of tuneful songs. Warm, dreamy and uplifting, cheerful yet quirky, these numbers dance with Electropop and Synthpop foundations, exploring jolts of Psychedelic creativity with blushes of Vapourwave aesthetic and Dreampop mood.

Some of its motifs blatantly pull from Disco, Dance, Indie Pop among other revived Pop music antics. If you've known a lot of music, many echo's crop up, reinvented to their tune. I felt this phenomena on Killing Time but title track Mercurial World's nod to Madonna on its closing lines confirms it. Among its many flashes of influence, Grimes seems another particular influence on Mica Tenenbaum's soft breathy presence.

Such obvious familiarities sometimes dampen the musical experience but fortunately Magdalena Bay have a beautiful, colorful energy emanating from the core. These sounds arrive through an exciting, lively energy, enriching their songs as layers of sound and creative production intermingle for an engulfing experience. Songs play catchy, deploying simple ear worms, yet can deviate from convention at any moment and explore fantastical oddities along the journey. A joyous debut, Mercurial World does indeed feel like a world of its own, set to pull you back over the coming years.

Rating: 8/10

Behemoth "The Shit Ov God" (2025)

 

Thirteen albums deep, masters of craft, juggernauts within their niche, Behemoth have little to prove. Although the bands efforts have received mixed reactions in recent years, they are always an unshakable presence in pursuit of fresh satanic sacrifices upon the alter of Blackened Death Metal. Yet this latest offering feels surprisingly steady, a routine spin of intelligently composed forays into demonic darkness.

The Shit Ov God entertains us with its competency, setting a grimace tone, exploring its shadowy avenues with a cunning to avoid anticipations. Devilish riffs and ravenous, restless drums brim with creativity, exciting within constraints, yet never straying from a ghastly temperament. The resulting record screams for break aways that never arrive. We dredge through swamps of weighty burden, never to be relieved.

Lacking peaks and valleys on its path, these songs becomes a fierce monotone drone of sinister silhouettes, menacing at a distance, yet lacking that flash of color to bring it all to life. Guitar solo eruptions and breaks for plucked string melodies among other arrangements signal that attention but none of them break out of this sticky nefarious gloom. A solid concise listen but lacks a spark for greatness to define its purpose.

Rating: 6/10

Sleep Token "Even In Arcadia" (2025)

 

 Lingering on the cutting emotive sensations of Vessel, this newest chapter, Even In Arcadia, plays like poetry in motion, a dwell of personal exorcisms originating from a lyrical inception. This impression could simply speak to the frontman's charming R&B leaning vocal inflections. As their key song-writer, this synergy unites voice and instrumental with a deeper, intentional chemistry than most. Its a now familiar formula but on this occasion, Sleep Token nail the album experience from front to back.

Shy of an hour, it breezes by effortlessly. Look To Windward opens, immersing us in artistic heavies as the throws of Djent yield to a grand gravitas carrying its tensions into soaring melody. Emergence and Dangerous lend their swells of momentum to metallic atmospheres as do other songs like the gorgeous Caramel. Concluding with blast beats and shrill howls, its ever curious how they seamlessly bridge such a chasm from their catchy 00s Garage beats with Pop vocals to untethered extremes.

 I'd often considered Sleep Token a stealth vehicle for Pop sensibilities into a genre usually adverse to such musical pleasures. Only its title track passes without a swell of metallic energy, a curiosity given how all my impressions stem from Vessel's delightful voice and the emotive melodies that accompany him. Its a wonderful orchestration of sombre piano that dissolves in tightening airy ambiences as the songs resolves itself in a common swelling. The violin on exit is a fine touch of craft.

 The thematic dance played between beauty, pain and introspection wrapped in sunny melancholy defines this record. Its reflection from words to sound a delight. On reflection, I appreciate its swells of intensity so much more. Their natural progression had me overlooking the dynamic shifts on a casual listen. That can't be said of closer Infinite Baths. Its groovy revelry in filth, a shock and horror to remember, seeing the experience out as if its all been sucked into a black hole. What a cracking album by a band reaching new heights. Along with the Saturday headline slot at Download Festival, this a moment that could ascend their profile even further.

Rating: 8/10

Magdalena Bay "Killing Time" (2024)

Imaginal Disk serves as my introduction to this talented multi-instrumentalist duo Magdalena Bay. Clocking in with a mightily entertaining fifty-three minutes, this album plays like a dreamy journey through the soothing serine, as conceptual narratives punctuate its seamless flow. Pronounced by gorgeous instrumentation, layered yet consistently apt, warmth emanates throughout as the pair explore upbeat vibes, meaningful and dialed in, compared to traditional popular "happy music". Moments of soft tuneful melancholy do arise, finding resolution as breezy winds whist any sorrowful introspective reflection back to the arms of this curious serenity.

 

Housed by the expansive nature of Progressive music, they aesthetically sit at the crossroads of Synthpop and Rock, with a Shoe-gaze Dream Pop nature, often leaning into melodic influences from Dance, Disco and Funk. Songwriting is king as these identities yield to the dreamy directions their music meanders in. Many aesthetic tangents arise as regular structures give way to swells and subtle crescendos. This ebb and flow keeps the record interesting, swinging through creative strides, offering a playful exploration of expressive ideas packaged in vibrant instrumentation.

 

My initial hurdle with Killing Time was Mica Tenenbaum's singing! Lacking oomph and power, her breathy, shy voice felt tame, limping by on subdued expressions. This impression was emphasized by her wordy interludes, the spoken temperament highlighting a narrow range. With the music calling for grandiosity, I anticipated a powerful, soaring voice that never came. Despite that, repetition has grown on me. She may not have big and bold presence but actually leans into her casual range, finding a soft charming chemistry with lively music which could easily overpower. Her grace and softness becomes a strength playing into the dreamy mood.

 

Stacked with its bangers early on, the record does mellow out as the initial Dance and 90s Alternative Pop energies subside, allowing songs to ruminate on ideas not quite as flashy but equally gratifying. Its an exciting, lively record, rich in musicality neatly packaged, making a bold impression on this listener who will have to dive deeper!

 

Rating: 8/10

Tetrarch "The Ugly Side Of Me" (2025)

Delightfully predictable and thus feverishly indulgent, Tetrarch return armed with another dose of millennial teenage angst, tapping into a personal unwritten nostalgia. The Ugly Side Of Me could have slipped into the turn of the millennium's music scene, a guaranteed hit. As their tightest record to date, these nine pure Nu Metal tracks revel in the Korn The Serenity Of Suffering take on electrified creepy melody and sonic syncopated groove.

Fused with Josh Fore's uncanny Chester Bennington harmonization, the downtrodden, plain faced lyrics hit a tuneful cadence to elevate emotional pains to anthemic levels. Sadly, it lyricism falls shy of greatness but that's likely in my lack of connection to these raw hurtful woes. Their chorus melodies ring of with a shiver reminiscent of the many deeply engrained hooks from Hybrid Theory.

Variety lacks but that's hardly the point. Each track hits with punchy, high octane energy, rolling between brief looping twisted melodies and slamming Nu Metal dropped tuning guitar grooves. Only Best Of Luck stands out for its instinctual post Gold Cobra Wes Borland influences. Given not a single track stetches past four minutes, these numbers make themselves known, not out staying their welcome.

That sharp focus keeps each spin fresh. After a brief binge I feel like this half hour of power will be fun to return to, knowing my teenage self would have lapped this up like a fiend. The singles seem to be the better buts but the margins are fine. With time I'll better figure out my favorites but I have a feeling this one wins the album experience.

Rating: 7/10

Labyrinthus Stellarum "Rift In Reality" (2025)

 

Champions of last years musical discoveries, Labyrinthus Stellarum's exotic take on Atmospheric Black Metal runs its course, returning with little new to offer. Still firmly rooted in its symphonic extremities and songwriting ideals, this fresh crop of void hunting cosmic ventures hurtle by in a hypnotic whirl of colorful astral melodies, furious blast beats and groaning howls to be heard across the vast expanse.

Only title track Rift In Reality breaks the mold. Novel twisted oral distortions on spoken passages arise early on. Seeming cosmic interference, it compliments their drafty clean vocals. The songs conclusion erupts, breaking convention as crashing slabs of distortion guitar break up the gliding gallop of pace these tracks usually embark upon.

Other than that, they stick to their stellar blueprint, delivering face melting bangers like Cosmic Plague and Ravenous Planet along the way. Nirlakh ends the record on a positive. It plays as if guitars and drums were stripped out to be replaced with menacing bass synths. A curiosity driven instrumental interlude of sorts.

All in all, Rift In Reality is a firm record but one that doesn't offer anything new to this fan familiar with their Lovecraftian inspired cosmic horror architecture. Fortunately, my appetite for esoteric other-worldly terror is strong. Having failed to reach new heights, I think the band would be wise to seek an evolution in their sound on the next outing.

Rating: 6/10

Deafheaven "Lonely People With Power" (2025)

 

 Spinning out another web of shadowy shoe-gazing extremity, Deafheaven return from the captivating Infinite Granite with renewed spite. Lonely People With Power leans dark and grizzly, its songs plunder a devilish spell as the sway of shrill vocal howls and dense guitar haze become a routine focal point for its swells. Brooding through unfurling intensities, melancholic acoustic melodies spill into distortions as tensions mount, often arriving upon the dizzying sorcery of barbarous blast beat mania.

This format is true for much of the record, also housing emotive signals of melody that linger within these aesthetic constraints. After several spins, that textural power loses potency in the absence of transcendent song writing. Lonely People With Power plays as emotion entertainment, running its course swiftly as tracks bleed together. There is one exception! At the midpoint, Amethyst acts as a blade, cutting the record in half.

With an illustrious, enchanting melody, this Blackgaze blueprint breaths life, illuminating as the power of key motif swells with utter grandiosity. The tuneful resurgence from apt acoustic lulls between plays a delight every single time. A remarkable track, elevating its touch of genius through the ebb and flow of the music, a feat every other track on the record fails to emulate with exposure and familiarity.

This splitting of the record feels intentional. The proceeding tracks take a gnarly turn as temperaments plunge further into the black and pale strands of its makeup. Its Extreme Metal makeup gets harder and sections of ambience and acoustic sound dialed into deep rotting pains. Despite this apparent gravitas, I found myself losing connection to songs as they blended together in a haze. Ideas lack distinction over its one hour duration, creating a radical drone devoid of purpose to latch onto.

Rating: 5/10

Ghost "Skeletá" (2025)

 

Without a whiff of precariousness, our beloved titans of Metal return stuck amidst illustrious stagnation. Completely predictable yet joyously delightful, Skeletá spans their history, reveling in the various chapters of evolution. With a mastery over their own song writing motifs, inspiration meets excellence as each song encapsulates an idea and executes it with vision. Tracks like Lachryma and Satanized induce touches of their Doom Metal roots. Much of the record induces a catchy sing along sentiment, Marks Of The Evil One and Peacefield play this up with strong Arena Rock vibes first embellished on Impera. Excelsis and Guiding Lights lean towards ballad territory, with their lightest and yet completely endearing music to date. Then lastly Cenotaph and Umbra. Both whisper bright and bold 70s Rock echos with creative rhythmic drives.

 Each of its various directions play swooning with layers of melody. Papa V Perpetua's devilish crooning, brief eruptions of soaring lead guitar or nestled touches of colorful synth, often multiple overlap to delight one with their melodic pleasures. Each song arrives nurtured with subtle details and iterations to enrich without being obvious. It keeps them sailing smoothly without a dull moment. Thus the record flows like a river of excellent, some how jumping drastically in tone yet feeling completely fitting.

I've binged and absolutely adored Skeletá within the first week of its release. I'm convinced its got legs, however that may depend heavily on ones personal Ghost appetite. Its only in its lightest touches do i get a sense of evolution. Non-metallic 70s and 80s influences feel present in perfect proportion but overall, this is a very familiar Ghost record. I don't think a single fan will be shocked by anything here, unless suffering a lack of exposure to historical musics that informs its song writing principles.

The one blemish that struck me is lyrical cohesion. Excelsis warms the soul with its gentle handling of mortality. Its practically a children lullaby. Perhaps there was an intended cynicism lost within its soothing tone. Other songs also carry a polar sentiment to the crudely poetic tongue in cheek satanic reverence that dominates half the tracks. For someone who often cares little for the weight of words, it didn't stunt my enjoyment but did seem a little odd as the record flows between extremes so well. 

Rating: 9/10