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

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

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

The Underachievers "Homecoming" (2025)

 

With a golden glossy glow to illuminate prior triumphs in their trophy cabinet, the Flatbush duo solidify a concept hinged on their return. Its a homecoming alright, but this brief twenty minute flash in the pan falls short of a glory its album cover suggests. Its shockingly been over ten years since the peaks of Evermore and Cellar Door with activity dying off in proceeding years. It feels like The Underachievers should have left their collaborative legacy alone. The years of silence have not served them well.

Armed with luke-warm competent beats, the pair step into the booth lacking a sense of hunger or urgency that previously defined them. The grit and vitality is gone, in its absence, signs of age, where earned skills and proficiency carry them by on steady flows running rhymes on routine. Cadences barely shift, the tone is consistent, lacking an emotional attachment to the lyrical content. Things start of fair. Losing Feathers reflects on the past, sharing wisdoms and ripping on the laziness of a stoner lifestyle. Past this firm footing, reflective of the album's theme, songs quickly drift off topic, even straying into marijuana braggadocio, an odd contrast to the uplifting message of ditching this self indulged habit to do something meaningful with your time.

Homecoming is disappointing, a reunion of talented individuals lacking enthusiasm. They step back into their unique sound with no fresh ideas lyrically or instrumentally. After all these years, there was little bottled up that needed to be released.

Rating: 3/10

Spellling "Portrait Of My Heart" (2025)

 

Devoid of that alluring magic felt on The Turning Wheel, experimental musician and singer-songwriter Spellling returns with a stiff set songs to lend her hearty, endearing voice to instrumentals simply on a different wavelength. Rife with overt echo's of 90s Alternative Pop, 80s Classic Rock, Glam Rock and flashes of Prog Rock, even Metal in a single moment, these songs crudely show their inspirations. Its rough around the edges, garage aesthetic sounds fantastic yet clashes with a remarkably salient, soulful performance, expressing many personal, emotional themes through lyrical delivery.

I've tried to drill these songs into my mind with repeated exposure, that same gnawing clash barricades a charm clearly aimed for. One can hear the bold conceptual strides these numbers take. Bright ideas, yet lacking novelty in pursuit of convention over experimentation. With this shift in norms, a chemistry between voice and instrument falters, despite either doing nothing erroneous individually, together they lack spark.

This disposition left me with little to say, I could delve into the ideas explored deeper but with a lack of adoration, words for expressing my perception just don't flow. Still one to pay attention to, I hope she finds her way back to the unusual charms again.

Rating: 4/10

Trevor Something "The Shadow" (2025)

 

My introduction to Trevor Something was through his distinct covers of classic songs ranging from 80s Synthpop ear-bugs to 90s Alternative crooners and Industrial anthems. A treacherous terrain to navigate, traversed in complimentary nature to give those oldies a differed flavor. Comprised of original songs, The Shadow has to compete with those high standards. Taking such dreamy aesthetics to his own material, the chasm is felt raw across thirty tracks that fail to illuminate through melody, hook or lyricism. This record falls into the "vibes" category, establishing mood, then ruminating on it endlessly, without any spectacular musical ideas or deviation from the path.

Tracks play slow and sullen like sluggish fever dreams of self indulgent misery. Twisted to melodic might, reverb soaked synths delve into a cold Ethereal melancholy. Soft and soothing by design, these dreary yet absorbing synthetic soundscapes elongate melodies to the tune of sadness. Trevor's ghostly voice echos out above, downtrodden, drowning in the wounds of a self centered lifestyle's emotional loneliness. Heard best in his words, its catchier words echo a crude Manson.

 

The Shadow's architecture lacks diversity, its moods circle the drain. The title track catches an ear with some intriguing repeat cuts, caught between a record skip and digitized glitch, they create a momentary disoriented charm for attentive ears. Occasional vocal warbling encroaches into Mumble Rap vibes. Infrequent but a curious if only brief distinction. Spaced out percussion patterns occasionally go full Synthwave with gated tom drum fills. Once again a brief glimmer of deviation from the overall tone.

 

One can find a few favorite cuts that resonate well within this context. Numb The Pain and Die 1000x stood out for me. They seem a cut above the rest on a record devoid of hooks and memorable moments. Each song tends to melt into the next as feverish aesthetics overpower other fundamentals. A fair and entertaining listen for self indulgence that probably doesn't have the legs to stick in ones mind for too long.

 

Rating: 5/10

Doomsday "Never Known Peace" (2025)

 

A few weeks on from discovering Crossover Thrash outfit Doomsday, a new record drops! In fact, Never Known Peace is their debut "full length", a trim, lean, concise thirty minutes of fiery metallic blasphemy! With a tight production in place, the band straddle Slayer worship with a modernized arsenal of slick sprinting riffs and roaring, evil evoking lead guitars. The latter aspect gets nail to the cross. Echoing King and Hanneman's dueling, unhinged guitar solos, the record's ten cuts flow with melodic chaos as the arrival of spurious shredding illuminates the tone, a consistent high point.

Oddly, its high tempo rhythm guitars chug and gallop chops to a lesser luminosity. They serve as the mood's aggressor, continuously grinding out stomping grooves in a menacing formality. Lacking surprise or novelty to seasoned ears, the ceaseless flow of rhythmic assault runs warm. When set up for a big breakdown, it lands somewhat soft. When the rhythm guitars aren't accompanied by face melting leads, things feel thin despite continuously punishing with notable touches of Hardcore dance groove.

 Stepping back from my analytical dissection, Never Known Peace is a heck load of fun. Despite being one mean best, its tone feels fun and uplifting, a dark demeanor for show, not to be taken seriously. The thirty minutes blaze by without a foot step wrong. Its surprisingly consistent, without a dull moment and nothing truly remarkable to rattle off on, although whiffs of potential linger. Only instrumental interlude track Extinction's Hymn gets a mention for its utilization of a sinister synth to add a textural flare to its main galloping guitar riff. A small footnote on a record that sticks firmly to its design.

Rating: 7/10

2Pac "Me Against The World" (1995)

Some might praise this an instant classic. With an incarcerated 2Pac sailing to the top of the charts, increasing controversies in the public spotlight only fueled its stature. Time has served Me Against The World well. Thirty years on, it plays as a brilliantly articulated slice of life, a moment in time reflecting the duality of man. Caught between a thoughtful, poetic soft-side and hardened realities of a fraught world unfolding around him, our enigmatic artist walks a tightrope, delving into the details of these juxtaposed sides. Understanding the broader context around this record is practically futile given how well his timeless cadence effortlessly walks you through particulars.

 

Songs run as a play by play of dark events, exposing his character and passionate, empathic political views. Tracks individually cut direct into a concept, expressing inspired and coherent without a wasted breathe. Upbeat G-Funk oriented production echoing shades of 70s R&B and Soul music breathes life into the lean, attitude driven vibes. Joining the emerging crisp and clean production style of this era, Shock G and his crew leave loops and samples in the dust. Melodies and beats come tightly arranged through sequencers composing snappy percussion and memorable tunes to stick with you for a lifetime. One will find plenty of favorite cuts among its fifteen.

 

 The album flows superbly. Intro samples snippets of news reporters remarks to firmly establish the setting. If I Die 2Nite kicks off a string of bangers, leading up to the mellowed soulful classic, Dear Mama, a beautiful timeless love letter to his distanced mother. The next couple of songs lean on this smoother temperament, a calm spot before Old School perks the ears with its appraisal of 80s Hip Hop. It plays like a checklist of shout outs. For a young me, this was a treasure trove of names to explore.

Fuck The World and Death Around The Corner have a fearful 2Pac dialing up aggression, turning to a darker side, foreshadowing his paranoid temperament heard loud on the next records. His anger seems righteous but the cracks in his duality start to fray. These songs contrast the overall upbeat mood. The closing track Outlaw serves as an introduction to the Outlaws crew, a concept he would go on to grow. This direction plays a mild blemish on an otherwise superb record, never failing to woo.

What I've always adored about Tupac is his ability to illuminate the problems of crime, poverty and racism from a perspective often ignored. Retrospectively, Me Against The World is the boiling point before his embellishment of Thug Life loses its potency under the pressures of Death Row records. Given the drama and controversy around him at the time, the stakes are raised. He meets it with his words. Me Against The World is undoubtedly a classic, his most consistent and concise record. A must hear.

Rating: 10/10

Clipping "Dead Channel Sky" (2025)

  

 Leaning hard into their distinct jilted abrasion, experimental Hip Hip trio Clipping return armed with an arsenal of rapid fire razor sharp rhymes, accompanied by cyberpunk dystopian disjointed beats. Its a despairing, paranoid journey, showcasing the unrivaled talents of Daveed Diggs, who blasts vivid lyricism through an effortless cold, monotonous delivery. Poetic and descriptive, he arms this unsettling soundscape of buzzing computer electronics with moments of clarity, cutting through the rumpus and adding a dispirited human element to the already dejected temperament.

 Lyrical themes resonate with defeatism, reflecting current social-political concerns. Early on, dexterous rhymes charm through ambiguous, artistic, storytelling motifs. In its second half, clearer concepts are depicted with plainer language. The emergence of AI, growing wealth inequality, the harms of social media, disinformation and internet related corrosive forces. Its in the latter half that these clearer expressions, the conceptual nature of Dead Channel Sky, takes form for this lukewarm listener.

Mediocrity stems from its dredging, drawn out nature, tediously slow burning through cyber-industrial soundscapes. Short interludes and key songs play drowned in an endless string of aesthetic ideas which only reward when converging upon groove and rhythm. This mostly happens at the heels of 90s House rhythmic energy and signature waveform leads from the era's blossoming electronic scene. In these moments, much is borrowed from the past. The dystopian aesthetic a thin veneer atop what works.

Entertained by a couple of spins, the search for depth has alluded me in becoming numb to its admittedly impressive arrangements of dial-up inspired internet glitch-synth. So to did Diggs' rhymes flourish food for thought initially. That persuasion has swiftly evaporating in this artistic vision mostly devoid of the simple pleasures required to bridge the avant-garde. Dead Channel Sky lacks the curation to drive home its vision, instead flooding us with an indulgent revel, not quite to this fans taste.

Rating: 5/10

Doomsday "Depictions Of Chaos" (2022)

 

 

Having recently unearthed a modern scowling scene of Groove laden Thrash, tinged in Death and Crossover, Doomsday stuck me as pick of the crop. Breeding fast, ferocious, fiery bestial incarnations, their hellish forays of 80s inspired Metal re-imagined play a delight to this Slayer fan. With lead guitars wailing demonic sirens and galloping rhythm guitars balancing groove and sprint, Doomsday hit hard.

 

These six songs run an infectious route, endlessly pivoting from one riot to the next. Despite being dramatic, sinister and darkly, with front-man Carlos Velazquez howling graven pains, Depictions Of Chaos is upbeat and fun. The routine stints of groove an invitation to rock out on a hellish ride. Its a vision cast by legends before them, yet this classy updated execution attracts one to revel upon its ripe aesthetic foray into evil.

 

Rating: 6/10

Willow "Ardipithecus" (2015)

Concluding our Willow journey at its origins, her debut album Ardipithecus limps by briefly tarnished with naive youthful philosophies and half measures of fresh faced introspection. At the age of fifteen, who wouldn't of expected such lyrical expressions?Heated by moments of pseudo-science suggestion and star sign akin mysticism, it can be a touch nauseous, however the bulk of her words play fair and fine.

 

What I had not anticipated was the musical chemistry that lays in wait. Its eleven songs play like bedroom jams, simplistic unions of basic drum patterns and ruminating instruments muddying over simple melodies on loop. It leaves spacious atmospheres, minimal yet curious as its ideas defy expectation, drawing from different spaces.

 

The records persuasive charm emerges where her voice meets the music. Sounding free spirited, soulful and unafraid, a lack of filter finds gratifying unions with these dialed back instrumentals. She sways to her own rhythm, backing vocals often chiming in off key, manipulating the many peculiar moods this tandem evokes.

 

It takes a few spins for things to click into place. Willow has an ear for something unique and here it arrives raw and curious, yet is delightful to indulge with. One will find favorite flavors among their travels. Randomsong stuck me as the strangest of all. Its perusing, noir baseline broods akin to a Rollins Band interlude, yet she meets its energy on her own terms. One oddity among the many trinkets here.

 

Rating: 6/10

Stray From The Path "Euthanasia" (2022)

  

Hardcore veterans Stray From The Path have been at it for a couple decades now. Joining in the fun at their tenth album may leave out some context, however it became swiftly apparent how to describe them. Offspring of Rage Against The Machine, these rockers update that iconic progenitor Rap Metal sound with an intensity befitting of Metallic Hardcore, armed with dense assault of seven string Djent guitar tones.

In your face, left leaning political statements sit front and center. Shout rapped by an aggressive Thomas Williams, his confrontational, agitating messaging sounds like Zack De La Rocha on steroids. So too do guitar grooves follow the Tom Morello playbook, downplaying melody and in general incorporating far more modern Metalcore ideas into their songs, with frequent mosh friendly riffs and fiery breakdowns.

 As such, their overt influences fade from focus on its many harder hitters. Superbly executed, yet lacking distinction, they sound a touch cookie-cutter in a crowded Hardcore scene. When falling back to leaner Rage influences, like on Law Abiding Citizen, front man Williams lacks a knack to deliver an ear worming memorable hook.

This magnetism towards comparison bestows a weighty burden when walking in the shadows of greatness. Despite that, Euthanasia is tight, a hard hitting, bombastic record, loaded with intensity and anger. Entertaining, yet some of its political messages provoke a sense of cringe when walking a hard line in the face of complexity and nuance. Not enough to turn one off from the frantic fun!

Rating: 7/10

Willow "The 1st" (2017)

 

Armed with a charming youthful naivety, Willow's sophomore effort gracefully dodges its own awkward imitations as inspiration and "talent" saves its heartfelt expressions from mockery. Venturing dangerously near the pitfalls of teenage philosophy, her introspective self expressions carry an emotional weight and sincerity that is hard to ignore. Sentiments extending beyond herself scarcely play hollow however the personal insights seem befitting of the records peculiar coffee shop tone.

Backed by sullen, broody instrumentals, strings, pianos and acoustic guitars start out on a Classical tone. Track by track the setting inches into different territories through minimalist compositions that leave a lot of airy space for its inconsequential melodies to drift by. Picking up pace and intensity, things brighten up as sounds of New Age, Soul, Dream Pop and Alternative Rock start to color these intentionally stripped back songs. The final few tracks then lean into a folksy current that was always present.

These thirty four minutes drift by without a misstep yet feel just out of reach from something grander. Early on, Willow's singing contrasts the backings, drifting above with a sense of free flowing expression. Later, the two find unison. Along the way, a few obvious echos of 90s singer-songwriters make themselves known. Considering her trajectory, the creativity expressed here is enjoyable but is yet to really click.

Rating: 6/10

Ice-T "O.G. Original Gangster" (1991)

 

Godfather of Gangster Rap and front man for the cop killing Body Count, Ice-T courts controversy with an unfiltered, unapologetic rawness. A subversive force of intellect, Ice masks deeper realities trough his gritty portrayal of street life in LA. Original Gangster affirms his authority on the matter whilst ringing off a long list of social portrayals and systemic grievances. Direct yet difficult, his lyricism runs crude and humorous, blurring lines between tongue in cheek and reality. At times he flows firm and plain yet in a moment can delve into wordplay. Wherever his cadence leads, Ice rarely deviates, sticking to his themes, which each track delivers with focused intent.

Clocking in at a lengthy seventy two minutes, the twenty four tracks chop by with snarky interludes between softened noisy Bomb Squad style sampling. It banging beats rock with late 80s drum loops, keeping energy high. Overall the aesthetic style sounds a year or two behind the cutting edge but its substance triumphs in the face of an ever changing scene. Midnight marks a shift in tone, sampling Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath a dark, grizzly, eerie Rap horror show emerges. This lays foundations for Ice-T to show his metallic edge, as the record also houses a Body Count track to cross pollinate his audience, something completely unheard of for the time.

These tone shifts shake up the second half another, The Tower, reusing John Carpenter's Halloween theme to chilling, haunting effect. It does blemish the flow considering how tight these upgraded, authentic post-N.W.A gangster raps are. It's been decades since I last spun this classic. It holds up well. A powerful listen by a master rhymer who can hold your attention with his direct penmanship. Classic!

Rating: 8/10

Willow "Willow" (2019)

 

This self titled affair is brief, yet concise. At twenty two minutes, it stretches the definition of an album but arrives conceptually complete. A raw expression of her emotions, Willow's voice flourishes within humble settings. Driven by mellow steely acoustic guitar chords, strummed over warm sluggish baselines and stiff percussion, a motif of simplicity emerges. Reveling in its chemistry, these songs linger on aesthetic pleasures driven by Willow's arrival into these direct, uncluttered compositions.

The mood is dreamy, a touch Ethereal, swaying from dreary spells of soft melancholy to subdued drives of Psychedelic Rock and Folk. Enchanting touches of R&B and Soul echo through the vocal setting. Overall, a soothing, chill experience with just a couple swells of grabbing intensity. Willow amps up her voice on the livelier closing Overthinking It and the Shoegaze conclusion to PrettyGirlz both perk the ears.

Like A Bird and Samo Is Now caught my attention for the plucked acoustic licks reminiscent of the charming acoustic breaks I've adored in some Metal artists. That tone immediately wins me over. As a whole, this self titled stint packs a punch but perhaps lacks some follow through or surprises along the way. Its decent but that's all.

Rating: 5/10