Often when covering world famous tracks, it’s important to put your own stamp on the work. Once in a while, though, a track will come along that’s so perfect, a great cover won’t necessarily need a lot more than a huge amount of enthusiasm applied to make it work. Such is the case with the version of The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ recorded by Nashville based hard rockers Kalamity Kills.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
THE STRIPP – If You Want Me / So Long
In 2021, The Stripp contributed a couple of brand new tracks to a split EP with Electric Frankenstein. At that point, the Aussie band only had a sole EP to their credit, but their material ran rings around the veteran punk and roll band. Electric Frankenstein still sounded good, of course, but they were no match for the fiery, still new band who’d been paired with them.
A few years on, it seems that The Stripp have lost none of their spark. Released ahead of a full length album, this pair of tunes capture all of the sharp edges and the genuine excitement of their earlier work.
OPHELIA’S EYE – Severance EP
The material on the debut EP from Swiss metallers Ophelia’s Eye (2024’s ‘Catharsis’) was played with the confidence of a band with a much bigger body of work to their name. The five tracks blended thrash, metalcore and a pinch of hardcore in a way that made the band sound utterly unshakeable. A few great influences were shared along the way (it was hard to ignore the tones of classic Machine Head on ‘Stay Close, We’re Dying’, but it was also good to hear a potential love for blessthefall and Lamb of God creeping through on other tracks), but no matter what the influence, the material showcased a band who were clearly superb musicians.
GRAHAM BONNET BAND – Lost In Hollywood Again
In 2024, Graham Bonnet and his band took to the stage at the legendary Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles. On this night, the intimate venue saw the veteran performer plough through a sixteen song set that celebrated many of the highlights of his long career.
The audio from the Graham Bonnet Band’s 2025 live release ‘Lost In Hollywood Again’ might not sound quite as vital as 2017’s unexpected Alcatrazz reunion in Japan (released for posterity on ‘Parole Denied’), but it’s clear that Bonnet – a man well into his seventies at the time of this show – still loves what he does, and is more than capable of summoning a huge amount of volume at a time of life when some of his peers sound like a shadow of their former selves.
STEPHEN McCAFFERTY – Monsters And Lullabies
Scottish singer songwriter Stephen McCafferty first reached an audience as part of indie rock band Return To The Sun, with whom he gained support from Radio X, while still broadcasting under the XFM name. After the band dissolved, Stephen disappeared. It seemed that, despite support from some high places, he wasn’t going to persue a career in music any longer.
He returned as as solo artist in 2020 with a digital single, ‘Spectre of Light’, but due to everyone being more concerned with a global pandemic and everything closing down, it didn’t appear to make a huge impact. Following another spell out of the spotlight, Stephen re-appeared again in 2024, by which time, the musical landscape looked rather different. His songs, however, remained as solidly written as ever, and his track ‘What Are We Waiting For’ – released digitally in January of that year – re-introduced listeners to a composer capable of a sharing thoughtful lyric, but just as importantly, someone blessed with a melodic ear that could potentially take his new material to an even keener fan base.