The self titled debut EP from UK prog metal band Paradis was an absolute beast. From the very beginning, it showcased a world of truly intense riffs, but by mixing classic prog metal chops with a pinch of metalcore and a touch of extra, groove infused heaviness – hinting at a love of Lamb of God – their sound was immediately more impressive than most.
Author Archives: Real Gone
BAD VALENTINES – Memory Tattoos EP
It takes all of two bars of Bad Valentines’ ‘Last Days In The Sun’ to advertise the trashier end of this Finnish band’s rather varied rock sound, when a high toned guitar wails against a punchy backdrop. The immediate effect is like discovering a more melodic deep cut from earlier Scandinavian bands like Gluecifer, or a more pop-centic Hellacopters. Their rock ‘n’ roll chops shine even more brightly when a rousing lead guitar break rears up midway, but its when reaching for more melodic climes that this EP’s opening track really comes into its own. A punchy verse is offset by a hugely melodic and really confident vocal courtesy of scene new-comer Hon, and although she sounds great on the verse sharing more of a pop-rock tone than the music immediately suggested, it’s when hitting a harmony driven chorus she really begins to impress. It’s fairly simple with the band using an ascending melody to reach a one line hook, but the results are as catchy as hell. In terms of making a good first impression, this introduces Bad Valentines in the best possible way. It’s a genuinely strong number.
Check out the new video for Detroit Run’s ‘Tightrope’
At the end of May 2025, up and coming UK alternative rock band Detroit Run released their debut EP ‘Defiance Part One’. The material showed great promise, and even if some of the band’s riffs slipped into an obvious formula when played as a whole, the EP’s five tracks played brilliantly when approached on an individual basis.
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #108
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 previous couple of weeks. This time around, we bring you some pastoral prog from a DIY multi-instrumentalist, a great pop throwback to a pre-Beatle age, a slice of country, a great R&B number…and more besides. As always, we hope you discover something new, and if you like what you hear, why not drop by and tell us? The submissions for the SB are still coming in fast, so there’s a lot more great stuff to come!
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LÙLÙ – Lùlù
When French band Lùlù released their eponymously named debut single in the closing weeks of 2024, it felt like the most exciting thing to happen to the power pop world since Gavin Bowles & The Distractions released their debut LP a year earlier, or possibly even since The Shang Hi Los released ‘Aces, Eights & Heartbreaks’ in January 2023. It’s not even that the track broke new ground; far from it, in fact. Its all round brilliance came from a desire to work squarely within a classic style.