In the summer of 2023, Dutch metal band Rise of The Wood released the ‘Sleep’ EP, an excellent three tracker that signified their long overdue return, but also a rebirth. Their first new music in six years, ‘Sleep’ was also the first Rise release to feature vocalist Leo Gstrein. His confident tones immediately outshone any of the work on the band’s 2017 debut and the music sounded much better all round. This suggested that band’s decision to take time out to regroup had been more than beneficial.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
Max Rael shares new video for ‘Pressing Against The Glass’
History of Guns man Max Rael has delivered one of 2025’s most interesting albums. By taking all of his electronica influences and fusing them with the spoken work aesthetic of his experimental project Decommisioned Forests, Max;s solo debut ‘The Enemy Is Us’ fuses a world of synth pop with strong 80s influences with touches of Kraftwerk which, joined by a world of slam poetry and introspective thoughts, to create a deeply personal record.
Personal it may be, but never in an exclusional way. There’s a real appeal in the material’s honesty. …And never more so than in the current single ‘Pressing Against The Glass’.
THE MOCHINES – Modern Information
Bringing together members of B-Movie Rats, LaDonnas and Rum Bar Records’ signings The Hi-End, The Mochines are a no nonsense garage rock band featuring some of the genre’s old hands. Following a few years away, their 2023 release ‘Modern Information’ finds this group of friends sounding particularly energised, and on its best cuts, sounding even sharper than ever before.
DAS KAPITANS – Get Up
Whether approaching an early Mudhoney aesthetic (‘MTV’), adopting a sound that blends the melodic indie of early Franz Ferdinand with heavier, almost grung breakdowns (‘Always Here’), delving into something much moodier and channelling Pavement (‘Sausage’), or throwing themselves head first into a world of minute long, punky bangers (the bulk of 2021’s ‘Ten’ “long player”), Das Kapitans often guarantee their audience a good time. For those who’ve followed the band since near the beginning, it’s been interesting to watch them grow.
DUCK & COVER – EP
In 2022, US band Duck & Cover released the ‘Attention Economy’ EP, a short listen that hit hard and fast with a world of trashy riffs that blended a love of garage rock with The Replacements, and even added a tinge of 80s glam to a few of the vocals. The tracks have since appeared on streaming services as three digital singles, but whether heard together or apart, the material retains its appeal. 2024’s two track ‘Trash Fest’ showed off a little more melody around the edges – particularly noticeable in the vocal approach taken on the massively hooky ‘Girl From Nowhere’ – but the band’s love of a wonderfully retro sound held firm.