Yesterday, Swedish rockers Alfavrak released their new album, ‘Kass kontroll’. What can potential fans expect from this new record?
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
Frost* issue stand-alone single ‘Western Atmosphere’
Here’s some good news for those Frost* fans who’ve yet to track down the Japanese edition of the much-loved prog band’s 2024 album ‘Life In The Wires’. The previously exclusive bonus track ‘Western Atmosphere’ has been issued as a stand-alone digital single.
The track sees Frost* mainman joined by Zappa/Devin Townsend band member Mike Keneally, Steven Wilson collaborator Randy McStine and the ever reliable Nick D’Virgilio (ex-Spock’s Beard/Big Big Train) and is very much an interesting but melodic treat.
SYPHA – Borderland EP
The release of their ‘Sober’ single in 2022 heralded Sypha’s arrival on the metal scene as something worth celebrating. That track shared a heavy riff which blended a classic metal sound with a more modern edge, working something that sounded like Shinedown crossed with the swagger of an on form Halestorm. In Alicia Pilling, the band also possessed a hugely melodic talent, and the blend of sounds led to a near perfect slice of chunky yet accessible metal. Subsequent singles proved that this was no fluke: with each successive track, the band flaunted a great sound, and the vocals continued to suggest Pilling would be an asset to the UK’s rock scene.
GEIGER VON MÜLLER – Alien Fig Yoghurt Incident / Origins #5 (Pelso Remix)
It takes all of a second to realise that, in terms of guitar instrumentals, Geiger Von Müller’s ‘Alien Fig Yoghurt Incident’ isn’t entirely of this world. It opens with a flurry of insanely high pitched harmonics, creating more of a mood than a melody. This immediately catches the ear, but makes the listener wonder where things are actually headed. A saner guitarist might flesh out such a technique with a couple of broad chords to make things palatable, but not this guy…
VARIOUS ARTISTS – The Magic Forest: More Pastoral Psychedelia & Funky Folk 1968-1975
In 2022, the Cherry Red subsidiary label Grapefruit Records released ‘Deep In The Woods’, a 3CD collection of cult recordings from the late 60s and early 70s, which documented the trippier and occasionally proggier elements of folk rock. Featuring a host of familiar names along with some genuine obscurities, the lengthy listen played brilliantly, offering the more open minded prog fan and 70s rock buff a listen that relied on far more than easy nostalgia.