Refusing to rest upon their laurels, “Lucky Me” reasserts that Killing The Dream have continued to push their music to new levels while maintaining a highly distinct sound. This record features some of the best riffs this band has ever written, demonstrating why KTD are such an (understatedly) influential band in terms of this niche of the hardcore genre. “Lucky Me” is everything modern hardcore should be: pissed-off, mature and interesting.

Drifting from psychedelic soundscapes one minute to thunderous progressive rock territory the next, Spiral Shadow is an enchanting aural journey to lose yourself in. Not content with settling into the groove of any particular scene, Kylesa have crafted their own blend of heavy rock by throwing a variety of influences into an already crowded melting pot of ideas. The result is an innovative mix that dips and weaves between their sludge metal roots and a newfound experimental and melodic edge.

Kids In Glass Houses are amongst a wave of punk pop emerging in recent times, however i feel their efforts have gotten lost in the crowd, although still a great band and potentially an awesome second album with the genre so full of successful bands already they will have to do something extraordinary and different to be recognised as one of those bands. 'Dirt' was defiantly their opportunity to do so however they stuck to what they know best and released a good, but not great second album.

What separates Knights of the Abyss from the leaders of the melodic death metal pack is simply the dynamics of their songwriting. All the elements are in place: the blast beat drumming, razor sharp riffs and guttural vocals. However, there’s few occasions during the album where these elements really solidify to create something both striking and memorable. The strong moments during The Culling of Wolves are offset by many that will wash over the listener without leaving a strong impression. Perhaps it’s a case of a new line-up working out the kinks, but while a solid release it’s still only a drop in a sea of Gothenburg-inspired metal albums.

“Fight With Your Fists” is musically schizophrenic, trying to incorporate bit-sized chunks of a bunch of different genres in what ends up being just weird amalgamation of sounds. Rife with clichés, this release lacks a cohesive sound which is incredibly disconcerting for the listener. Funnily enough the pop punk elements of Kid Liberty’s sound are actually very appealing and have a degree of originality. Unfortunately their attempts at incorporating boring, cooky-cutter hardcore breakdowns ruin what this record had going for it. Don’t listen to me though, kids will probably love it.

It’s not the most complex music you will ever hear, but there’s a certain charm in Kid Sam’s humble compositions of guitar and drums. However, while the album does have its impressive moments, there are also those that are somewhat mediocre and leave the overall impact of this release patchy.