In September 2024, Hike The Peak released their ‘Ether’ EP. It hit streaming services just a couple of months after ‘Only The True Fly Free’ (an album made up of sporadically released digital tracks), but it was obviously far more than just a couple of leftovers. At its best, the material delivered some precisely arranged punk; sounds that, with elements of skate and melodic hardcore thrown into the mix and a strong influence from Face To Face, had a very American influence. Thanks to the input of a variety of vocalists from around the globe, the material didn’t always carry the sound that some people might’ve expected to come from a DIY musician from the north of England, but Hike The Peak sounded all the better for that.
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THE PALE HORSE RITUAL – Enchantress EP
Some projects take a while to get off the ground and become a concrete reality, but Ontario’s Pale Horse Ritual (formerly The Pale Horses) took the idea of not rushing anything to extremes. The earliest line up of band the dated back to the late 90s when they were an on/off project for the musicians involved, but it wasn’t until 2024 that a stable line up was formed and the band finally entered the recording studio. They might have taken an age to reach the world’s ears, but the ‘Enchantress’ EP (released via Black Throne Productions (home of Sons of Arrakis and AAWKS) is a real treat.
KELSEY MICHAEL – Lethowsow
With its sweeping piano lines and jazzy bass, ‘Gry Maritha’ – the opening track from Kelsey Michael’s debut long player ‘Lethowsow’ – channels material from Joni Mitchell’s ‘Court & Spark’ and ‘Hissing of Summer Lawns’ period, but with the help of a swooning melody and vocal choir, it quickly takes on more of its own identity. Michael’s rich vocal joins a really great sounding tune, and although her voice is used very much carries the melody (as you’d expect), it never dominates the track as a whole. The song’s middle section gives way to some brilliant harp work capturing a dream-like quality, and an unexpected coda finds the band launching into a jazzier groove where the piano and bass come together in a way sounds like a welcome throwback to a McCoy Tyner recording. It’s at this point the listener could become aware of experiencing something rather special.
STONE DISCIPLE – Stoner Thrash EP
‘Stoner Thrash’ by Stone Disciple is one of those releases that, to use an old phrase, does exactly what it says on the tin. The guitar tones used throughout are pure stoner; the speed of the material, less so. Attacking like a harder edged Fu Manchu colliding with a riffy, speed loving Sabbath clone, this EP’s songs cover all the important stoner bases, and yet convey an energy that feels pleasingly fresh at the time of release.
Listen: Skye share new track ‘What Am I’
A five piece band from the north west of England, Skye take in a wealth of hard rock, prog metal and alternative influences to create a massive hybrid sound.
On ‘What Am I’, the quiet, almost disquieting vocals and busy basslines owe a debt to the mighty Tool; a massive, relatively commercial chorus pulls influence from bands like Alter Bridge and Shinedown, and a really punchy drum sound adds something even harder. These things combined lead to a massive and genuinely impressive slide of contemporary metal that’s guaranteed to build upon the current Skye following.