Fantastic first release which definitely lives up to the hype albeit a little boring at some points.  Definitely worth checking out for anyone keen to see how crafter sounds post prom queen.    They killed it on the Sweat Fest tour so if you haven’t seen them yet have a gander on the MS tour in Feb.

Backed by a solid label and with an already impressive live reputation, Energy have “next big thing” written all over them.

Quite simply, Fall Out Boy has delivered the pop record of 2008, one that hasn’t had to dumb down its songwriting to reach a wider audience, a remarkable feat when you consider just how appalling most of the music that infiltrates the charts is. Well-done gentleman. 

None of the tracks on offer are terrible, but if you’re in the same boat as myself then the band’s back catalogue will have you longing for a return to the D’uh, Trashed and Hoss days. 

While attempts have obviously been made to create an obtainable pop rock album, it is clear that there is no spark within this current lineup to leave anything in the annals of history. High end production and perfect performances are still no match for a well written song!

I don’t think a track-by-track analysis of this record is necessary, so I’ll just leave you with this. If you’re eighties-sounding hardcore bands and raw, lo-fi recordings then you’ll probably enjoy this disc. If not, there are a slew of other new Bridge Nine releases out there for you to check out. 

Compared to The Dead Walk I originally found Continent to be a little one-dimensional, however The Acacia Strain aren’t here to dazzle us with dynamics and sprawling song structures. Their one and only job is to repeatedly beat us around the head with riff after pummeling riff (the album’s outro is the obvious exclusion), something that they have succeeded in doing. 

When The Tossers are doing what they do best, they do it better than anyone around at present, when they get it wrong though, it’s complete shite. 

Perhaps a desirable purchase for any diehard The Gathering fan wanting to hear the band while still in its formative years, though not a worthy recommendation for those wanting to learn about The Gathering. Check out Nighttime Birds or If Then Else for some quality The Gathering.

Psycroptic’s best effort to date which has placed a much greater emphasis on song flow, groove and structure. One of the best death metal releases of the year.