Matte Blvck "Vows" (2024)

 

My allure to this record arrived through Midnight & Angel. With tender voice, tight electro percussion and nightly synth melodies, this song conjured a kinship to Black Celebration, a record I adore and have always wanted to hear more of. Vows delivers that magic in moments but between its flushes of human emotive touch comes a mechanized industrial delve into aesthetic and groove that leaves a bold impression.

From Electro-Industrial to Noise, Synthpop to Darkwave, the California trio Matte Blvck command a spectrum appealing to both pop sensibilities and challenging aggressions. These songs revel in sharp potent synthetic aesthetics, assembling a gorgeous yet dystopian soundscape. Its vivid, striking, a crystal clear exploration of darkly futurist sci-fi imaginations, reflective of the modern state of music production.

The records structure is impressive, voiced tracks alternate with instrumentals that lean on percussive might and groove. Serving as shows of force, they signal talent, craft and care as its magnitudes shift focus. As a result, the album experience wins out. On the journey through its visions, strong touches of Synthwave, Techno, Trance and even a whiff of 90s Big Beat emerge. Vows is simply a delightful exploration of expression. A trove of treasures to return to and enjoy again. Truly impressive.

Rating: 8/10

The Firm "The Album" (1997)

 

Why did The Firm flop? Led by Dr. Dre's evolving production, this Rap super-group failed to garner merit from fans and critics alike. With three decades of distance amassed, not even nostalgia for classic 90s Hip Hop elevates its status, a mostly forgotten and overlook East-West collaboration with aims to end the rivalry.

Firmly rooted in concept and execution, The Album delves hard into Mafiaso Rap, a subgenre then in its prime. Chemistry between artists isn't its downfall. The concepts explored perhaps lack depth but my gut tells me they leaned to far into this Mafia lifestyle inspired motif. Its better tracks share something in common, a narrative. The best lyrical strides come through occasional story telling, leaving the bulk of the album recycling lifestyle braggadocio picture painting rhymes as its main thematic reflection.

The Album does give one a curious window into Dre's evolution. These beats pop off with snappy percussive drums, slick suggestive instruments, assembled tight and precise. For keen ears one can heard the aesthetic foundation for his classic 2001. Five Minutes To Flush slaps with a hard gated reverb bass kick. It recycles the synthetic vocal tricks heard on California Love. Firm Family share a spirit with Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek's Coming Of Age. I love hearing these links in Hip Hop records.

At the time, the star studded cast probably cast a big shadow of expectation. Revisiting this decades on with out any presumptions, a fair and competent record emerges. Armed with a diversity of beats for one to pick favorites, it ultimately lacks substance and depth in lyrics content, painting gangster portraits with predictable rhymes. As suggested earlier, it leans to hard on a single concept, lacking hooks and concepts to back it up. If you're not a fan of Mafiso Rap, this will be a tough sell.

Rating: 5/10

Old Sorcery "The Outsider" (2026)

 

It turns out that the twenty minute epic Magick Truimph was not a lone anomaly but the lead single and opening track of this fervent march into the mystic chills of synth laden Black Metal. An attentive individual may notice the link in title and cover art framing with last years The Escapist. That album ended with a brief flush of distortion guitar, suggesting another link into The Outsider, a meaty seventy plus minute plunge into sways between aggressive metallic mania and occult esoteric offerings.

Barrowgrim Asylum plunders one extreme, a cold chromatic track toying frightening hellish cries from the void with cheesy horror key tones. Innigkeit and The Pain Threshold serve the other end of this diabolical spectrum, soothing yet mystic synth interludes, evoking curious atmospheres of arcane and sequestered secrets.

The records best resides where these two ends meet. The Interior Gates Of The True Soul offers up delight when its Berlin School lead melody infuses the dark ravenous blasting with an emotional through line. Suddenly the music illuminates as some sort of 80s Synthpop vibe makes its resonance with a bi-polar opposite known.

Where Sorrow Reigns is my absolute favorite, a throwback to late 90s Symphonic Black Metal. Its seemingly dense foray of darkness opens up a third of the way in. Jovial piano keys call out from a carnival of chaos. Its following grooves infuse symphonic wonder and stoke the flames of greats, like Dimmu Borgir, Emperor and Arcturus that came before. A simple wonder for this fan of that particular niche.

In essence, The Outsider is an entertaining exploration of tried and true extreme sounds, armed with peculiarities and inspiration to bring moments of genuine freshness. They are however, somewhat sparse. With competency and passion, this record plays with an excitement hard to come across these days. Its interesting to see artists shift direction but this is a somewhat retroactive pivot to enjoy an old craft.

Rating: 7/10

Apashe "Renaissance" (2020)

Stunned by its impactful predecessor Antagonist, Apashe's debutant Renaissance lingers in a shadow yet cast, a cruder amalgamation of Classical eclectic crossover with an urban grit. I'm shocked to learn its taken me two years to follow up on this bespoke Baroque bombast, a riveting union of classic aesthetics produced with hard hitting heretic percussion. Three years its junior, on this outing, one can hear a vision yet to craft a cunning to evade listeners from overt dissection of its element1s.

Thus the seams of ageless string sections and renascence orchestral tonality peal, riding upon rigid waves of obnoxious, dance floor pounding beats. Leaning into its own absurdities, stints of slickness unravel as tight, lean instruments, polished to a fault, create walls of stark rhythm. Its modern, flashy, often devilish when bass drops echo the vulgar machinations of Dubstep. Fortunately, this execution caries itself well.

With its foundations firm and fair, the record benefits from a routine cast of guests brining much need distinction to these numbers as several instrumental ideas get recycled. Insane catches my ear as a keen collaboration, veteran rapper Tech N9ne lending credibility to a crudely demonic instrumental. His snappy flow outshining the all to sinister obvious drop arriving past the songs midpoint.

You'd be hard pressed not to find some enjoyment here, however the evolution in sound tainted my experience. The craft will evolve however at this point of inception, the ideas are keen and potent, explored with a vision evoking intrigue and curiosity. My biggest takeaway is a renewal of excitement for what Apashe will do next!

Rating: 6/10

Poppy "Empty Hands" (2026)

Keeping up the impressive pace, Poppy swiftly returns with her seventh full length album. Empty Hands is another amalgamation of Alternative Metal, Pop Metal and Djent, emulating the modern scene, still struggling to surface an originality to call her own. Consistency strikes well in the album's opening half, a firm grip on bombastic guitar tones paint dense atmospheres for her singing to cut through. The opener Public Domain chops this up with a blatant ohmage to Manson's 90s Industrial style.

Diversification unravels in its second half, Eat The Hate delves into revival Grunge. A well executed song that cant quite escape her presence. The Wait, Blink and Ribs toy with Electro Pop beats and dreamy Synths, a vibe switch up I can't help but feel is closer to Poppy's voice as an artist. This is my gripe with her persona in the music, the instrumental influences of Metal and Alternative don't meld with her expressions.

On the vocal front, she is certainly working on the aggressive intensity of her shouts and screams, amping up the energy with crude throaty roars on brutality tracks Dying To Forget and Empty Hands. The latter plays a vibrant meaty Metalcore number spliced with a Pop Metal chorus. Empty Hands containing throwbacks to the late 00s Deathcore scene, peaking with an ever cringy and hilarious bree pig squeal.

Most likely thanks to switching songwriters, Empty Hands has been the easiest of her records to get into. Despite that, I still don't feel a strong connection between voice and instrumental that has been a continual pain point across her records. Its the same issue that lets these songs fade from memory, so I'm left with a familiar sense of enjoyment in the moment, but no idea which tracks will stick over time.

Rating: 7/10

Zander Parks "Light Years Away" (2025)

A casual obsession of recent weeks, Light Years Away presents itself as an emotive exploration of life's many journeys. Personal, pensive, thoughtful lyrics navigate poetic expressions with a touch of maturity. At a meaty fifty plus minutes, its twelve tracks traverse an Alternative Rock landscape, dipping into Post-Rock and Folk Rock. A flash of Glitch in opener Machine, lesser so on Vastness, alludes to a modern "in vouge" sound that swiftly gets drowned out by a more traditional song writing approach.

Leaning on the atmosphere conjured by its instrumental textures, these numbers craft melancholic moods fit for softly sung words tackling, struggle and regret. The duo exchange a spotlight, offering tender relief, channeling human motions into storeys. Our unnamed effeminate companion takes center stage for most of the record but its best runs evolve from the exchanges where voices crossover in smooth duality.

Its best cuts, Event Horizon, Letters To Nowhere, Voltage and Leave The World Behind, all share something in common. A musicality that ebbs and flows, swelling into theatrical through lines that punctuate a songs intent. Its gratifying in comparison to the rest of the music, which tends to lingers on calmer energy, not quite finding a suitable climax to peak its intent.

Far from perfect yet brilliant in its channeled focus on songwriting, Light Years Away serves as a set of beautiful expressions. Its compositional chemistry exploits dynamics, texture, atmosphere and tone from a varied cast of instruments. Perhaps a detractor is the lack of potent melodies to settle in like earworms. Much of that role comes from the hooks which leave a firm impression. This is a firm record well worth ones time, I'm sure you'll find a few favorites among its cast.

Rating: 7/10

Master Peace "How To Make A Master Peace" (2024)

 

Cruising by on sing along anthemic vibes, Master Peace's debut delivers a riot of carefree youthful energy, an unapologetic love letter to the highs and lows of responsibility free young adulthood. Powered by gritty baselines, sharp rhythmic chops and catchy guitar riffs, their brood of Indie Rock echo's a spirit the best of Britpop once had to offer. Blur's Park life comes to mind, with many of these lyrics cutting resonate insights into modern British life. So to do melodies and grooves also evoke vague memories from our countries musical history. More notably, a few familiar The Prodigy synth tones crop up on its aptly integrated Dance Rock numbers.

This is all high praise, without a touch of plagiarism, Master Peace writes a new chapter of British Rock, every track hitting with an infectious intent. The song-writing is class, tight catchy songs with purpose. On occasions they play rough around the edges, peaking instruments ruffle the feathers with a shirty attitude. As the singer, Peace handles the grit and sleaze of shouty, loud speaker hooks, pivoting to smooth tuneful singing and all in between. Swaying between obvious influences, Indie Rock, Punk, Dance Rock. Soft flashes of Shoegaze, EDM and UK Hip Hop add to the mix, a fun upbeat party concoction, both serious and cheeky. A good listen front to back.

Ones personal taste will influence the album experiences topography. The warmth of Panic101, Start You Up and Happiness Is Love were peaks. Shangaladang and its reprisal Santiladang were valleys. I could see what they were going for, just not quite my cup of tea. How To Make A Master Peace is a fast and brief record, a half hour of power totally worth checking out if you're fond of British sounding music.

Rating: 8/10

Old Sorcery "Magick Triumph" (2026)

 

Unlike Old Sorcery's other pair of lone twenty minute forays into mystical synth-led atmospheres, Magick Triumph is not an ambient piece but an epic, thunderous adventure. Opening with the endless drips of glum soaked rain, sodden strings punctuate this earthly, stone-cold setting. A plucked instruments ticks on by, marking a lone adventurer's dreary march forth, treking through dusky forests. Brooding with burden, it steadily groans into a ghostly church bell of foreboding. After a brief, dreamy lull, that menace returns to roost as gristly distortion guitars bleed under a discernible, deathly, cryptic voice. With a touch of predictability, the music unravels in a clash, rumbling drums pounding that typical signature Black Metal motif.

From here, curious synths evoke an esoteric mood, narrating the feel of this droning, low-fidelity grimness. Howling voices wretch from the void, scowling with a beastly intensity and the song shifts its blasting drum patterns to shuffle through its various arrangements of spooky void surfing mania. Although it seeks out a climax, the predictable Black Metal chops keep it within expectations. Despite this tameness, hearing Old Sorcery explore a strong neighbouring influence of Dungeon Synth is a welcome delight. Better than I've heard some other bedroom composers try it, yet far from miraculous. Its a familiar theme really well executed!

Rating: 6/10

Taylor Swift "Midnights" (2022)

 
Following up on The Life Of A Showgirl, Midnights hasn't exactly illuminated her broad appeal but perhaps such pursuits are an aimless distraction. Its an entertaining record, yet perplexing with its split lyrical directions. Home to my favorite Swift song, the anthemic Anti-Hero, Its introspective maturity and witty sentimentality stand in deep contrast to low point Karma, a spiteful revel in another's misfortune. It plays like a revenge track, harnessing the idea of karma in a rather un-spirited derisive gloat.

This contrast in tone highlights a spectrum of topicality marred by polarization. Taylor grapples with personal battles, fame, stardom and relationship woes from humble points of self critique to then lashing back with jeering ridicules and needling taunts. Fortunately, much of Midnights is the former with Vigilante Shit being a primary example of Taylor slipping into a meaner demeanor. It paints a troubled impression, the drive of emotional weights unable to resolve an anchor in stormy weathers.

That song highlights a reoccurring musical aesthetic of the record, Bedroom Pop, akin to Billie Eilish in my limited range of reference. Its a snug, cozy tone. Stripped back sleepy beats and subtle dreamy synths downplaying melody for dusky twilight atmospheres. Swaying with lunar Electronic tones and Synthpop influences, the music often slips into nocturnal Dream Pop territory with a touch of Ethereal charm. Softened yet modern murmurs of whirling Berlin Synth nestle in the velvet backdrops, playing into a partial minimalism production style as Taylor is given a limelight to shine.

Her singing is quite hit and miss for me. Occasionally striking gold with the whispery mustering magic of Lavender Haze yet much of her deliveries play mediocre. Picking up on more tropes and quirks, the rising vocal inflections at the end of sentences perk the ears. These techniques and others sometimes land but often feel like a bit of a clutch. She can certainly align the stars with impressive magnitude but like on The Life Of A Showgirl, the luminosity sparkles for just a couple of tracks and moments. Her inflections and lyrical cadences seeming like the core chemistry landing inconsistently.

Rating: 5/10

Irreversible Mechanism "Graviant" (2025)

My excitement for this album was met with swift shock as Polish outfit Irreversible Mechanism depart from their Symphonic Black Metal foundations. Having released two fine records under Blood Music in the decade prior, the band go it alone with this self released effort. A lack of budget and experience tarnishes Graviant's aesthetics as the muddy production consistently rumbles on the low end. A steadily murky mess but fortunately its emotive musical merits punch through this amateurish recording.

At its offset, one can clearly hear the leftovers of their previous guitar tone. Slowed jabbing riffs and big metallic distortions hold some prior characteristics but as the songs churn by, the influences of Tool and Maynard's vocal style become the dominant theme. Its very much a series of Progressive, Alternative Metal tangents, lingering on emotional pains and exploring them through instrumental ruminations.

Gradual shifts, psychedelic repetitions, rhythmic brooding and percussive excursions forge a tapestry of intriguing songwriting. Armed with time signatures and inspired experimentation, the band take once unusual directions to climaxes that play mildly blunted by the shadow of giants that walked the path before. Its atmospherically intense, a darkly meditation leaving no stone unturned. Hurling itself from the calm before the storm, directly into its eye as aggressive plundering serves its peaks.

Despite this obvious display of excellence, the record is routinely blemished by that muddy production. Blunting its charm and muffling its clarity. A lot of the intricate instrumentation requires a fair bit of focus, thus breaking its spell. Fifth Wall and Croc Hunter served as my favorite tracks, peaks that just about overcome this hurdle with angered intensities illuminating peak progressions within both songs. The band have much to offer with this new direction, its just a shame the budget couldn't support it.

Rating: 6/10

Taylor Swift "The Life Of A Showgirl" (2025)

 

Yet to figure out the secret sauce that explains Taylor's astronomical stardom, I do hear a warming charm. Armed with a fair voice and gratifying range, her tender strength in singing navigates the pop appeal competently. Mostly an ease on the ears, momentary strokes of sensation illuminate a handful of passages on The Life Of A Showgirl. Being primarily a Pop record, one could rattle off a long list of toned-down genre influences each track takes on. Soft Rock & Country feel like the main theme as roomy Acoustic Guitars and snappy percussion grooves guide a core of its songs.

Its the synth and string laden theatrical strides of opening tracks The Fate Of Ophelia and Elizabeth Taylor that sparkles. These are delightful ear worms, exchanging their infectious vocal hooks with grandiose emotive sentiments. Its a powerful opening, extending itself into the crafty dancefloor fusion of a warming Opalite. Taylor flexes her range effortlessly here, soaring in spirit, sailing her voice into the endless sunset.

Father Figure reveals reoccurring blemishes one can linger on when pondering her lyrical sentiments. Its crudeness emphasizes her egocentric battles heard elsewhere on the record, flipping from the sensitive pains of Eldest Daughter, too emboldened sentiments of critical immunity. Across the runtime, one can hear a fair few lyrical contradictions that muddies the point this albums naming hints it might land on. I may be lacking context but it loosens the records grip on a broader overall takeaway.

On the minor topic of short comings, sparse moments of lyrical cadences slipping into casual, direct and coarse wordings, stick out like a sore thumb. Alongside stride breaking vocal inflections, some of Taylor's approach to piecing together her hooks seem odd and unfinished on occasion. It adds some hiccups to an otherwise smooth experience, a pleasing, easily enjoyable record lavishing one in musical pleasures.

After a lengthy string of fair to do songs, it ends on a high with the Americana tinged title track featuring Sabrina Carpenter. Wrapping the record with a bow, the two allure one another for a tuneful peak with charming chorus hook. Its heights reminds one of a gulf in difference to an averageness that flowed on routine Pop songs before it.

I've really enjoyed The Life Of A Showgirl and I'll treasure its best numbers for years to come, however I'm mostly left with the sentiment that Taylor is capable of much more. Still fresh to her appeal, there are moments of brilliance in how she sings. Subtle shifts with inflections, layering and harmonies. The usual tricks, yet subtler in execution, a seemingly "plainer" tone but carrying a persuasive power the best singers do.

Rating: 6/10