Blending elements of groove metal and melodic hardcore, with influences from Machine Head and Sevendust, Irish band Asylum Road delivered some absolutely massive riffs on their brilliant EP ‘The Fear’ in 2024. A couple of the vocals might have split opinion with their genuinely abrasive approach, but from a musical standpoint – and looking at the material in terms of tightly played, classic metal, without sounding at all dated – the material was first rate.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
THE REAL GONE SINGLES BAR #135 (FESTIVE EDITION)
For this visit to the Singles Bar, everything has taken on a distinctly festive theme. We bring you eight Xmas recordings from different artists and genres – ranging from the well known to the genuinely cult – which hopefully will enrich your holiday time playlists for years to come. A much loved rock band offer a new cover tune; there’s a brilliantly ugly electronica themed Elvis tribute, and ‘Santa Baby’ as you’ve probably never heard it before. There’s also a touch of Americana, some great pop, and a nod to the mighty Slade along the way. We hope there’s something here for everyone who loves Christmas music… Pour yourself another eggnog and dive in!
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WEFT – The Splintered Oar
The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Charlie Anderson, Weft’s album ‘The Splintered Oar’ isn’t a record that’s easily categorised. Across five fairly lengthy, mostly instrumental numbers, the Panopticon violinist takes in elements of folk metal, melodic black metal, dark folk, prog metal and even an element of alternative country to create a musical journey that’s full of twists. It is a record that won’t be loved by a mass audience, but it’s ultimately one that feels very rewarding in terms of depth and variety.
Listen: King Of Cups are on the ‘Naughty List All Year’
Throughout the second half of 2025, US punkers King of Cups have been teasing a forthcoming album. Each of the singles have shown the band in a position of musical strength: ‘Let The World Burn’ introduced elements of emo and power pop into their pop punk core; ‘Waited’ leaned further towards a world of emo/alternative rock with the help of a few heavier riffs and some Linkin Park-esque keys, and ‘Lighthouse’ – arguably the best of the record’s three pre-release tracks – augmented a stronger emo influence with some great harmonies, but without losing the King of Cups crunch.
THE FEAR – Christmas Time EP
Alternative metallers The Fear had a very successful 2025. Not only did they release their debut ‘Falling Forward’ to a raft of online praise, but the band also got to tour in support of nu metal legends Snot. Not content with that, they also found time to record a bunch of festive tunes which, released as the ‘Christmas Time’ EP pretty much the moment December reared its very cold bonce, showed that the lads not only had a serious work ethic, but also a sense of fun.