With its stomping rhythm, massive glam rock infused guitar chords and rousing vocal, Silveroller’s debut single ‘Hold’ immediately marked out the band as one to watch. There wasn’t anything particularly unique about the track, but it was a near perfect example of great musicians taking an old sound and recycling it with a lot of charm. With that followed by the mellow ‘Come On, Come In’ showcasing the flip side of the Silveroller sound, there was definitely a feeling that their upcoming debut EP might be something rather special.
Category Archives: Album & EP Reviews
ELLEN MAY – A Lonely Way To Go EP
Towards the end of 2023, Australian duo Ellen May released ‘Dying To Live’, a two track download that introduced the world to their classic brand of pop punk. Hugely indebted to ‘Goodbye Astoria’ era Ataris and early Sum 41, the material often felt nostalgic, but there was something rather wonderful about their unfussy approach. They clearly understood there was still a market for straight pop punk without the unnecessarily heavy moments that have coloured the punky subgenre post-2012.
THE END MACHINE – The Quantum Phase
The End Machine’s second album, 2021’s ‘Phase 2’ presented some great hard rock sounds. It found the sometime Dokken men George Lynch (guitar) and Jeff Pilson (bass) very much working within their musical comfort zone, but with that, came a great strength. Aided by brilliant Robert Mason on vocals, the band often sounded like a rock powerhouse, despite playing very safely. It would be fair to say that, in hard rock terms, fans of those three musicians got exactly what they wanted.
AMIGO THE DEVIL – Yours Until The War Is Over
Amigo The Devil’s second album, 2021’s ‘Born Against’ took folk, bluegrass and country influences and created something really interesting. Instead of taking an easy route through those styles, the best material mixed them with more interesting things, which led to tracks like ‘Drop For Every Hour’ and ‘Shadow’ sharing more of a Brecht/Weill influence, the mournful approach of Leonard Cohen cutting through the centre of ‘Different Anymore’, and even further away from the expected, ‘Murder At The Bingo Hall’ blending roots with a moody indie rock rhythm. Not all of the experiments worked, but it was always great to hear a man keen to push the boundaries of folk and Americana.
SUN ATOMS – Ceiling Tiles / Tower Of Song
On their 2021 LP ‘Let There Be Light’, alternative rock band Sun Atoms shared some great music. That record’s quieter and more downbeat moments blended elements of goth pop with a very retro guitar twang, often falling somewhere between the classic, introspective songwriting of Leonard Cohen and the more contemporary moods of Tindersticks. When approaching busier sounds, the material mixed light electronica with spoken word passages. With other moments utilizing muted trumpets and very retro sounding backing vocals, the album was a pleasingly varied listening experience.