With a new name being touted almost weekly, it seems as if Finland has more metal bands per square mile than anywhere else on the planet. That said, there’s always room for more, and today, Obscure Fate release their debut single ‘Age of Delusion’, a solid sounding number, bringing together elements of 80s melodic metal, light goth overtones and melodic death metal aspects.
Helmed by multi-instrumentalist Chris Dicksheid, Side Project Skip’s debut EP ‘Fast Falls & Hard Landings’ – released in 2021 – found the sometime Mediocre Friends musician sidelining the sounds of late 80s college rock and exploring retro sounds of another kind. The recordings presented stripped back semi-acoustic material that had a very DIY feel, but at their best – as heard on the very strong ‘Sunsets On Rooftops’ – a love for bands like Toad The Wet Sprocket was evident, creating an intimate listen that shone a light on Chris’s songwriting in a pleasing way.
When it comes to reaching for a heartfelt sound, Noah Villeneuve isn’t holding back. His debut solo recording ‘Kneejerk’ begins slowly, presenting his rich vocal tones almost unnacompanied. Bringing in slow, acoustic strums, the melody builds, but clearly aims to draw in the audience gradually. Noah isn’t out to wow people with massive hooks, but to make them…listen – a gift that seems to be fading in this world of short attention spans.
As we head into the final quarter of 2025, it’s time to take a moment to look back over the past few months. It’s been a great time for new releases — especially on an underground level — and, as a result, we’ve been insanely busy at Real Gone.
Following a string of rather varied sounding digital singles – kicking off with ‘Spilled Milk’ in September 2024 – one man band Tooth Gore released his long awaited ‘For Losers…By Losers’ album in June 2025. It didn’t disappoint. Taking in elements of surf rock, noisy indie, melodic punk and a couple of other retro twists, the album showcased an artist will a brilliantly malleable talent.