ARROWS OF ATHENA – Daydreaming

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Real Gone

Following a fuzz heavy intro that suggests a love of shoegaze, ‘Abandoned Love’ – the lead track from Arrows of Athena’s second album ‘Daydreaming’ – opens up to share a techy sounding slice of alternative rock-pop in a Garbage meets Yeah Yeah Yeahs style. It doesn’t take too long before the number’s brilliant blend of mechanical rhythms and contrasting flowing vocal begins to make an impression. Against some familiar sounding music, the track places a spotlight on vocalist Jac-Lyn Gibson, whose performance here is almost strong enough alone to carry the entire track, and definitely makes it easy to forgive what might be perceived as sharing too much of an obvious influence. The vocal shares an immediate power, calling out clearly despite being subjected to filters, and ultimately sounds like the perfect compliment to a great musical melody. As for that intro: it’s not a red herring. Guitarist Scott Lerner creeps through the cracks to fill the bridges with more of that pleasingly aggressive style, giving this track a superbly tough edge when needed. When released as a single in 2025, it sounded like one of the duo’s finest recordings to date; when experienced as part of this full length, its impact certainly isn’t diminished, despite being complimented by several other strong performances. If you’ve not heard Arrows of Athena before, this will leave a superb first impression.

Continue reading →

POSEYDON – Time Is A River And The Waters Are Red

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Real Gone

Formed in 1992 at the tail end of the first great thrash metal boom, it would take Belgium’s Poseydon another six years to release an EP before splitting up rather prematurely. After reforming in 2007 – by which time, the landscape of metal had shifted considerably – the band began to rebuild a following, and eventually released a debut full length album in 2011. That recording, ‘Cold World’ shared more of a death metal infused thrash, but showcased a band who were clearly capable of delivering the goods when it came to a genuine heaviness.

Continue reading →

THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #153

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Real Gone

Welcome back to the Real Gone Singles Bar, the place where we explore some of the more interesting individual tracks that have landed in our inbox over the past few weeks. This time out, we’ve got a number with retro post punk leanings, a catchy piece of garage pop, a huge and jangly workout that falls between garage rock and melodic punk, something insanely heavy, and more besides… As always, we hope you find something new to enjoy.

Continue reading →

URIAH HEEP – Firefly

Posted on April 21, 2026 by Real Gone

When David Byron left Uriah Heep in 1976, the band’s fans figured he’d be irreplaceable. His dynamic vocal range was an essential part of the Heep sound, after all. Not long after his departure, the band found a replacement in ex-Lucifer’s Friend vocalist John Lawton and, joining him in the newly configured Heep, came another familiar face – ex-Bowie/Spiders bassist Trevor Bolder, replacing the departed John Wetton. Despite Heep now being the underdogs, the resulting album – 1977’s ‘Firefly’ – was not only enjoyable, but a big improvement over the workmanlike approach which dominated most of 1976’s ‘High and Mighty’.

Continue reading →

Listen: Tom Waits and Massive Attack share new recording ‘Boots On The Ground’

Posted on April 20, 2026 by Real Gone

When you think of Tom Waits, the idea of collaboration is not usually something you’d consider a priority. He’s taken a co-credit with others in the past, of course – most notably with Crystal Gayle on the ‘One For The Vine’ soundtrack – but you’re more likely to find Tom taking the reins and marching to the beat of his own very distinctive drum. However, ‘Boots On The Ground’ finds him joining the legendary Massive Attack for an oppressive and beat-laden recording that really works.

Continue reading →