Bizou : "Widow"

This is a post-punk all -star band that features former members of Wax Idols. Smashing Pumpkins/ Garbage, and Light FM.  There is a mix of influences; some of them lean their sound in a more dream pop direction. This is more pronounced on the synth wave-tinged title track that carries a dreamy glaze, though the guitars and vocals anchor it well. The vocals are performed andd produced in a manner that sounds like they could have come from a 4AD album in the early 90s. The drums add a bit of heft. The guitars are not afraid to add a more rock-like melody. 

"No One Can Have You" finds the band cruising on a solid groove, as the drums keep things flowing. The guitar dances around this with a crystalline patter of notes. I am not sure I couldd call this synthwave, as it is more like dream pop with a side of post-rock tension, though they get dancey at the end of this song."Death Mag" has a beat that is not unlike "Running Up That Hill". But the vocals bring things back to a more somber mood. It's not hard to be less dramatic than Kate Bush. The synths darken things coming out of the chorus. Even though this seems like the most synth-dominant song so far, it is still balanced out with guitar. This is the most dance floor-minded song I've heard on this album. \

Was not expecting a Wire cover, but that is what we are getting; it is a more electronic take on the song. The last song kinda drifts by and does not grip me as much as the others, but ya win some, lose some; it doesn't suck; they just raised the bar high for themselves already, I will give this one 9.5, which puts them at the top of the heap for this sort of thing. 

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Mob Rules : "Stories From the Verdant Vale"

The German Power Metallers are at it again. This EP is an extension of their 2025 album "Rise of the Ruler". The first actual song, and not an intro piece, is "Master of the Black Crow," which has enough drive for power metal; it also has the happier guitar melodies that I am not a fan of, as they come across as too happy to me. The song after this, "Masquerade Ball," works better in this regard because it's less happy. It also, riff-wise, sounds like "Where Eagle Dwell. I like Maiden much better than Helloween, so there is that. Even the vocals follow that pattern on the verse, though they switch it up on the chorus. You can also hear a touch of Queensryche in this. 

Another problem I have with a great deal of power metal is the silly power ballad that they indulge in. They are always so melodramatic it takes all the edge off of it, and that is what is going down here. It almsot reminds me of Dream Theater in that regard.. Thankfully, they drive "Balance of Power" out with a more thrashing riff. The vocals are belted in an over the top fashion that comes with the genre and sounds great here. Considering that Klaus is at least in his 50s since the band formed in 1994, his voice sounds great.

This album also offers some songs from their 2014 album Timekeeper, but for the purpose of this review, I am not going over these songs since they are not new versions being released last year. This blog has been around since then, and I did not review it when it came out, but I never got huge into power metal, though it does summon a nostalgic feeling for an era of music I do love. They are consistent, and Klaus is the sole original member, but he has kept it going in a way that is true to who thee yare, so I will give this one an 8.5. It drops August 21st on Reigning Phoenix Music.

        

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L.O.T.I.O.N multinational corporation : "Machine Halluinations"

 Electronic tingehardocore does end up sounding like industiral. The first song sounds like it could have been from the 90s. I do like the harder-edged guitar fighting against the synths. "Spiral of Destruction" sounds like White Zombie jamming with the Butthol Surfers.. You could almost say something similar about "Absolute Insanity," but it also carries stronger ties to Killing Joke. But it also finds them settling into more of a songwriting formula. "Boots On the Ground" is more Ministry-inspired.

They kick up equal amounts of dirty noise and grooves on "Digital Rot".At this point in the album he vocals begin to get a little boring with their one-dimensional nature. I suppose if Motorhead is one of thre your favorite bands, you won't notice. Speaking of Motorhead, the vocals take on a more Lemmy vibe for "Acid Reign." . The vocals also have a little more purpose on this one so that works for me. There is a more punk feel to "You're the Product" 

"Never Say Never" is another more punk song with some Devo tendencies. This is offset by a more metallic riff driving it. Then it's back to a more old school industrial sound for "Smooth Operator," tink Revolting Cocks in this regard.. Lulu contributes her voice to "Five Star General," which helps to switch things up into a more indie new wave revival sound. Overall I appreciate what they are going for here, not blown away by it , but they captured the sound of an era I like and wrote some decent songs on their own terms making this album a great deal of fun so I will give it a 9.

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Codex Lovelace : " Galvanized Heart"

 

Here is a weird darkwave project, which, like most darkwave projects, does not think it is darkwave. The guitars do not make it any less darkwave, as plenty of darkwave bands once had guitars it is something I hope makes a comeback. Though it is unlikely this band is the one that is going to spearhead that comeback.  What they do will appeal to a very particular segment of darkwave fans. Most of them will be at Dragon Con or some other fantasy convention that hopefully these guys will find themselves performing at.  They bring a heftier beat on the second song, though the vocals are the aspect I am not a hundred percent sold on, and that will be their goal over the course of this album. They seem to be pitchy in places, and I think a different mix would benefit them. 

"Clorkwork" does not invoke the sound of what I think steampunk would sound like, which in my mind is closer to Rasputina or Heartworms. I appreciate they are bringing a heavier element to the tapestry of sounds they are trying to weave together here. The vocals are more effective when coming from more of a purr.  The higher they are belted, the more margin for error. I think more effects would also play into their favor. "Ada" does have some sounds that are more steampunk to my ears, and a better groove, with an experimental collision of sounds working for them here. Uses more ofa sci-fi theme, that follwos the more techno pulse. It gets weird, but weird works for these gals. They even add an almost industrial thump. 

On "High Rise," when they sing in their alto range is working really well. "The Corps"  has more groove, and the moaned vocals hold more weight in this context. Though the pitchiness is questionable in this place, which is odd as it worked on the previous song. "Alice" finds things getting darker. This is the path they need to be following, though I am partial to darker music. Both girls sing, but one is a better singer than the other; you can hear this in the dissonance when their voices join. I do like they mention the Jabberwocky in the Alice in Wonderland song. 'Vampyre" is a little upbeat to be about Dracula, and this is not the girl who should be singing it. Not all voices are created equal. 

The xylophone sound that is the centerpiece of 'Dollhouse" works well at the steampunk sound they were going for. and they vocals sound fine, so they are just inconsistent. This song is somewhat of a ballad. When it builds, it's one of the album's better beats. The last song also captures the steampunk feel they are going for. The more industiral vibes it goes into work as well as the odd, angular, quirky pulse it carries.  I will give this album an 8.5; there is some fine-tuning that it needed in post-production, but it carries its own charm in the present format. Something like this should be a little strange so you can't fault a girl for that. 

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GRADIENCE : "Anomaly"

It did not take me long to hear what my purpose for reviewing this album was. This Danish band leans on the metal core sidde of nu-metal, despite the presentation and marketing; they are poppier than you might suspect, which seems to be the theme for the album. This album is well produced. I was promised trap mixed into the metal, and that does not show up until " Master to Slave". When it arrives, it is the best song so far. I am not sure what they are doing when it comes to the more metallic side; I think they are all over the place. He is a better rapper than Screamer.

There is some more rap going on with "Stains' but in the hard streets of Denamrk if does not come across as correct as it does if this were from the States. If it did, it would be more along the lines of Atilla. There is a riff that sounds more like Slipknot that is cool for what it is. Then by the time I get to 'Deathwish," this album starts fading into the background, and I have to go back and give it another try. There is an extreme turn from a Post-Malone-like ballad to blast beats on "Undone".  But this is offset by the chorus that follows it, and the two do not go together that great. Some decent ideas might fit better in a different context. 

"A Witness" finds a better balance; it mixes the hip-hop tendencies in a way that is not too Linkin Park. "White Noise" follows a similar path, though it's more like early 90s rap rock until the harsher rasp comes in. "Grimey Potential" carries a more melodic ringing tone. The vocals are lighter and poppier. 

. There are reasons the music press is going to try to prop these guys up. But this is far from original; it works at times, and the results are entertaining when it does; they exceed their grasp when it comes to playing heavy music. They are more suited to the kind of rap rock, and even the melodic pop vocals are kind weak, but they make it worth it well enough, so I will give this one an 8. That is my purpose for writing this review as there are going to be many other reviews that call this black metal and tell other lies to sustain a narrative they are hoping for rather than hearing this album for what it is. 

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Colorblind : "Who Sold You This Truth - Was It Yours To Hold"

If you wanted to know what Justin Bieber might sound like if he made Myspace Metal, this is the answer. With that out of the way, we can focus on how hooky these songs are, even if it means compromising what you might expect as heaviness. But not every band needs to be heavy, so if they want to lean into the pop side of things, that is fine if it is who they are. They are not a metal band, so with that expectation taken care we can enjoy this album as "Car Crash "is pretty catchy. These guys would have worked well on one of those "Pop Goes Punk" cover albums.  They get moodier andd more melodic on "Needle Eye," which has a pretty anthemic chorus. They follow the path left by bands like Issues. Though they have less attitude. 

"Chemical Warfare" is another moody anthem, with less of a hip hop undertone and more of the metal pop punk feel. It begins to sound like they need to break from their formula a bit by the time we get to this one. When he screams, I am not much of a believer, as he looks like he weighs 130 lbs, but when it comes to his almsot androgynous emo whine, I am a believer. Almost everything I said about the previous song could be applied to "Let Down".  There is, however, a lower-tuned angular djent riff at one point.  Things begin to stall by the time we get to "Misery Loves Company".

They switch it up not in the direction I suspected, as it's a synth wave-like pop-power ballad,  on "Incomplete," but it works for me. Vocally, this one is sugary but more impressive than his screaming.  Then they are back to the more middle-of-the-road formula. "The Countdown" finds strummed guitar taking over as they go about as hard as Taylor Swift, unless we are talking about "Look What You Made Me Do," then she's going harder. It's pushing the boundaries of how much sappiness I can take. "God Complex" approaches this from a different angle. It's more rock for sure. 

It's by "Lost in Translation" that things begin to sound the same, though a solid listen finds this song is not like "Heavy Heart' that follows, though it is more inspired sounding than "Heavy Heart. Then with "Paradox" there is more of an electronic groove taking over.  , Though this and the last song find themselves drowning in their own sugar when they would have worked better with a marginally darker atmosphere. Whelp, this album eventually kind of became background music for me, but I appreciate their willingness to fully commit to emo pop hooks. I will give it an 8. 

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Street Tombs : "Existence Is Corruption"

 In today's musical climate, it is not hard to damage the second album from these Santa Fe death metallers, breaking them into the larger metal scene. They have some thrash riff smarts and a raw punk attitude coupled with their more feral embrace of death metal. Going into "Deceptor," they are almost crossing over into thrash, with the vocals being the main thing anchoring them to death metal. It does speed up as the song progresses into something that recalls the early days of the genre. There is a much more dynamic take on songwriting than I expected, with some of the more nuanced passages while still being true to the raw punk spirit. 

"Septic Values" is pretty solid, not speed-obsessed but keeps the energy up as needed for this era of the genre. The vocals have purpose. Some cool more traditonal metal riffs are going into "Upset the Grave" before it gets some double bass under it and goes cruising off. "Systematic Suffering" runs closer to the more expected side of death metal and has less of their own peronsaluty embedded in it., still a decent song, just not as vital as the first few. By the time we get to "Mental Mulilation," things are beginning to run together and sound the same as the dynamics begin to find similar footing. This song is a little more deliberate, but when it speeds up, it all runs together..

The death thrashing races on with "Braindead". The vocal accents shift a little, but it racing long a similar highway as the other songs. A dive bomb Slayer solo or two join in. The last song sounds almost just like the previous song as things find a more monochrome sonic formula to fall into I will give this almost an 8.5 as the first half is strong enough to balance things out when it finds the songs sounding too similar. Being released on Carbonized Records

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