Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews

FLIPPEUR – Plastique / Pour de l’Avion

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In June 2025, French punks Flippeur released ‘Pacman’, a frenetic single that took punk’s energy, added a bunch of bending synth sounds and a relentless jangle to create a really punchy track that hit its audience so hard that, even for those non-French speakers, it couldn’t fail to impress. In and out in just seventy nine seconds, it barely gave the listener time to over-think what they’d just heard, and that feeling of pure, unrestrained energy went a long way to suggesting Flippeur would be worth keeping an ear for in future.

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ROT FESTER – Death Row EP

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Rot Fester’s debut EP – 2024’s ‘Condone Or Condemn’ presented eighteen minutes’ worth of old school death metal fury. With the bulk of the material adopting a bass heavy approach coupled with a guttural roar, the Swedish duo were certainly heavy, but the sludgy tone of the recording ensured they didn’t just sound like they were casually retreading a traditonal death metal path.

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Watch: Marillion vocalist Steve Hogarth covers Leonard Cohen’s ‘Famous Blue Raincoat’

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Steve Hogarth is a legend in melodic rock and prog circles. He’s been the Marillion frontman for over thirty five years, and has also had a critically acclaimed solo career. In January 2026, Ear Music will release ‘SPQR’, a blu ray and CD set capturing Steve’s 2024 live show from Rome.

A brilliant set takes in a few Marillion deep cuts, some well chosen covers, and even a nod to H’s breakthrough band, Europeans.

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TIBERIUS – Troubadour

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With influences ranging from indie, alt-country and psychedelia, Boston rock band Tiberius (not to be confused with the Scottish metal band of the same name) have labelled their sound “Farm Emo”. The fusion of styles colours most of their debut album ‘Troubadour’ in such a way that their music feels inherently “90s”, yet at the same time, the record’s finest tracks feel so much grander than mere throwbacks to that plaid dominated era.

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DINOSAUR JR – The Black Session: Live In Paris 1993

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The early recordings by Dinosaur Jr are among the band’s most critically lauded, but a case could be made for 1993’s ‘Where You Been’ being the band’s finest and most consistent work. The first album to feature bassist Mike Johnson (replacing Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow, following his well publicised falling out with Dinosaur main man J Mascis), its material took on a slightly more commercial edge at times. The word “slightly” is more than apt here, however, since J’s vocal drawl would remain a stumbling block for those not entirely sold on the band’s sound, and a couple of noisier workouts ensured the heart of “older” Dinosaur was never far away. Nevertheless, the album connected with a broader audience than some of the band’s prior works, with ‘Start Choppin’ breaking into the UK top 20, and the album’s promotion including an appearance on the BBC arts programme The Late Show on February 23rd 1993, just two weeks after ‘Where You Been’ hit record shop shelves.

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