This EP from The Magic Bus provides a brief but varied showcase for a talented band who aim to break down musical barriers. Blending traditional Greek melodies with elements of folk rock, stoner rock and trad metal, this EP’s four songs explore a vast musical landscape, but never feels in anyway disjointed. This is due, in no small way, to each of the melodies being linked by a strong vocal. Frontman Valentis Dafkos is in possession of one of those voices which is so big, it doesn’t matter where his music takes him; he’s there, with a very natural boom, sharing a volume that has as much confidence as the band’s biggest riffs.
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WYOMING YOUNG AND STRONG – Wicked Upon You EP
Recorded and mixed by Bloodhag’s Jeff McNulty and mastered by the legendary Tad Doyle, this EP from Seattle stoners Wyoming Young and Strong has a huge, live in the studio sound that makes similar works by renowned producer Jack Endino seem half-arsed. Presenting a wall of distortion coupled with sludge/hardcore riffs that sound like early Tad battling with ‘Ozma’ period Melvins, the band take the stoner metal sound from their earlier ‘Black Wire’ LP and ramp everything up about three fold. The results are absolutely devastating.
KMFDM – Let Go
It’s hard to believe that the release of ‘Let Go’ ties in with KMFDM’s 40th anniversary. In some ways, it’s just as hard to believe that this record comes a whole decade after the brilliant ‘Kunst’, which at the time of this release, still felt like a recent work. No matter how much time passes, though, there are few things as reliable as a new album from Sasha ‘Käpt’n K’ Konietzko and his team. Fans know that a KMFDM record will give them pretty much what they’d hope for, and occasionally more…and that’s very much the case with this disc. Even after four decades on the road, on the bulk of ‘Let Go’, the KMFDM machine shows no sign of burnout.
OUR SOULS – I Won’t Tell You The Same Lie EP
On this follow up to ‘I’m An Adult In A Punk Rock Band’, Leicester’s Our Souls condense all of their best traits into a five song, thirteen minute blast.‘I Won’t Tell You The Same Lie’ appears to value its ferocious guitar riffs above everything else, but scratch just beneath the surface noise, and you’ll find musicians who understand an importance of big choruses and tight basslines to help drive their unquestionably enjoyable noise – and in a couple of cases, aren’t afraid to throw everything at an arrangement to see what sticks. More often than not, their gutsy approach works brilliantly.
ELLEN MAY – Dying To Live EP
The members of Ellen May met via social media in 2022, and quickly realising their shared musical interests, Matt Matusik and Matt Branton began sharing demo ideas. Seemingly just as quickly, they began working on demos with a plan for a full length release. Despite an album’s worth of tracks being completed, the Ellen May debut features just two numbers, but ‘Dying To Live’s digital single format is actually a perfect way to introduce their emo/melodic punk sound to the masses.