Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Rhode Island post-metal avant-garde duo The Body have made a name for themselves due to their caustic maelstrom of harsh, brutalist experimentalism as well as their prolific output and collaborative nature, releasing collab albums with the likes of Full Of Hell, Thou, Uniform, and most recently, Dis Fig. Their latest endeavour sees the pair link up with another duo of musical extremity, Toronto, Canada's recently reformed industrial two-piece Intensive Care. Was I Good Enough? has been on the cards since the artists first began making plans as far back as 2018, trading, warping and ruining mutual sessions with layers of loops, distortion, samples and even dubs, constantly striving to find the ideal haunting balance between both of their sonically hideous, oppressive worlds. For all of our ears' sakes, they just might have succeeded.

Review: Tad's Inhaler emerges as a hidden gem in the grunge landscape, a powerhouse album that deserves far more recognition. Produced by J Mascis, its grunge-meets-metal sound is relentless, filled with saturated riffage and infectious melodies that rival the genre's biggest hits. Tracks like 'Throat Locust' and 'Grease Box' pack punchy, memorable choruses that should have propelled Tad to fame alongside their peers. Despite its quality, Tad's rise was thwarted by a mix of overlooked promotion and, ironically, political correctness, exemplified when their label dropped them over a controversial promotional poster. This reissue on magenta vinyl serves as a timely reminder of their legacy, showcasing the album's enduring appeal and its rightful place in the grunge canon. Tad Doyle's uncompromising vision and the raw, unapologetic spirit that defined the genre's golden era is harnessed here in this one album to enjoy.

Review: Baton Rouge, Louisiana based doom-sludge auteurs Thou have become renowned for their uniquely punishing brand of psych-tinged, heaving, fuzzed-out metal, while their myriad collaborations with the likes of noise-sludge duo The Body has prevented the collective from ever resting on their laurels for long. While most recently working with Mizmor on 2022's Myopia EP, and the two preceding years spent on both the Emma Ruth Rundle full-length May Our Chambers Be Full and companion EP The Helm of Sorrow, it's now been almost six full years since the band released an LP of their sole design. 2018's Magus served as a monolithic, 75 minute statement of artistic despair whilst highlighting the catharsis found in the most crushing of sonics. Featured in the top metal releases of 2018 by Decibel, Noisey, BrooklynVegan and NPR, to name but a few, this limited tan vinyl 2xLP reissue is long overdue, and just might signal the coming signs of new Thou material out on the horizon. Whatever may come, revisit the gargantuan Magus in the meantime.

Review: Following on from 1989's majorly successful and admittedly more commercial sounding fourth full-length Intuition, Trondheim glam metal-tinged hard rock heroes TNT would find themselves on the radar and eventual roster of Atlantic Records, who in 1992, would distribute the band's fifth album and first on the major label, Realized Fantasies. Praised by fans for its exceptional production with ludicrously bombastic percussion the whole way through, the project saw a sonic retracing of their more hardened edges, so as not to lose sight of their creative prowess. That being said, cuts such as the cheerful 'Easy Street' and epic ballad 'Lionheart' seem like they were purposefully designed to keep snooting record label execs off their proverbial backs. Never mind what glassy eyed nostalgia-baters say, Realized Fantasies goes hard as hell while delivering barrages of riffage, melody and playfully epic grandeur.

Review: Before Tool were known for their grandiose live shows that keep frontman Maynard James Keenan shrouded in darkness next to drummer Danny Carey, before they were considered progressive metal titans unmatched by any act within the scene, they were just another four-piece alternative metal group made up of four outsider misfits who seemingly struck a unique balance with one another and a burgeoning fanbase. Captured in 1991 at a performance in the Los Angeles Jello Loft where they would cut their teeth, this set is made up of material from both their 1992 debut 'Opiate' EP and 1993's follow-up full-length Undertow, pre-dating the release of either project, with the songs landing on almost completely unsuspecting ears. Take a fly-on-the-wall earful of early versions of 'Cold & Ugly,' 'Sweat', and 'Hush', which showcase their first forays into aggressive grooves whilst the juxtaposition of these tracks next to their much darker, proggier successors such as 'Sober' and 'Swamp Song', highlight the singular vision they were already striving towards before even dropping one official project.

Review: Transmission Impossible charts the early career of American alt-rock masters Tool via performances recorded for radio broadcast - and the odd snippet of the accompany interviews. A majority of the tracks featured were recorded for radio stations across the US (and on a couple of instances, in the UK) between 1991 and 94, though disc three also boasts cuts laid to tape in 1998 and 2000. The band's original line up (which features throughout) was known for its loud, dynamic and energetic performances - all ten-ton guitar riffs, sweat-soaked drums, heavy bass and wild lead vocals - and these recordings capture their live sound perfectly. For fans of Tool, it's a genuine must-have collection.

Review: .During their live appearances - and especially ones captured for posterity by radio stations - Tool have often delivered surprisingly and unlikely cover versions. These, alongside a smattering of similarly eyebrow-raising duets and demos, form the basis of Absolute Ultra Rare, an unofficial compilation of obscurities that should be essential listening to fans. It sees the alt-metal and progressive metal heroes variously turn their hand to Pink Floyd (a surprisingly jangly take on 'Comfortably Numb'), Rage Against The Machine ('Know Your Enemy'), ska ('Wrong Way'), and Wings ('Silly Love Songs', which is turned into a moody growl). Throw in some heavy takes on their own tunes (see the opening rendition of 'Passenger') and you have a suitably epic collection of rarely heard tracks.

Review: Trying to find reliable information about The Pepsi Challenge: Colorado Broadcast Volume Two isn't easy. In fact, it's almost like the Holy Grail search. That's if the Holy Grail was a quest for details about one of very few live recordings by almighty US rock dons Tool. Definitely rarer than the steak you still dream about from that time you spent far too much money on a mains, but it was worth it, other than that we're coming up short on certainties. One thing we do know is this was recorded at Denver, Colorado's Pepsi Center, now Ball Arena, home of the Denver Nuggets basketball team and an 18,000 capacity venue. According to several fan forums, the show took place in 2002 and is remembered as one of the best on the band's tour that year. Recorded live for FM radio, it's now made its way onto wax, and reflects the power and majesty of these guitar icons.

Review: If you deep dive into online information about this somewhat mysterious Tool live release, you can start to piece together some facts from the mythology. The thing we are most certain about The Pepsi Challenge: Colorado Broadcast 2002 Volume One is that there are many theories pertaining to what it is and whether it's a bootleg or not. Certainly this has nothing to do with the Pepsi Challenge per se, but rather the title refers to where the album was recorded. The year was 2002, the place Denver's Pepsi Center, now known as Ball Arena. Here, mighty metallers Tool stopped by on what was a mammoth tour and delivered what several fan forum posts suggest was the best date of the lot. We're not sure how many of the shows the OPs attended to make that assertion, but we do know that this LP sounds like it was an incredible night.

Review: Originally recorded in 1987, Seventh Day Of Doom was the debut demo/EP from Hungarian black metal outfit Tormentor. Retrospectively adored and newly discovered by many newcomers to the genre due to vocalist Attila Csihar's presence, before he would go on to join Mayhem (who he still continues to front), the project was tracked just one year before their debut full-length Anno Domini. With neither work able to see wide distribution until the end of communist rule in Hungary, the tape-sharing phenomena of the late 80s underground scene would carry Tormentor's abrasive cacophony across country borders and into the ear canals of metalheads with little to no realisation of the history they were taking part in by simply putting on their headphones.

Review: Somewhere between Scotland, Leeds and the Welsh border, sometime in or around the year 2022, arose Tristwch Y Fenywod, the craven coven of Gwretsien Ferch Lisbeth (Guttersnipe, The Ephemeron Loop), Leila Lygad (Hawthonn) and Sidni Sarffwraig (Slaylor Moon, The Courtneys). Building on years of esteem accrued through their separate solo projects, Tristwch Y Fenywod still marks a stylistic curveball from any of their original works, not taking on a fusion of each, but rather presenting an entirely new triadic, spellbound sound. Tristwch Y Fenywod is an entirely Welsh-language affair, pairing sonic connotations of witch house and 'outsider' folk with otherwise subtle electronic elements and Celtic motifs, inviting instinctive comparisons to ravencore peers Kelora, electro-somnambulists oOOoO, or reverb-doused studio ident This Mortal Coil; but always eluding a facile reduction to any combo of these influences. Their name and eponymous title translating to 'The Sadness Of Women', these eight tracks land us somewhere in a no-go forest between two middle-of-nowhere roads, making for the best gloom-fest of the year.

Review: Originally released in 1984 and celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Stay Hungry would serve as the third full-length from glam metal icons Twisted Sister. Certified triple Platinum in the US with over three million copies sold, the record is widely considered to be the crown jewel in the band's gaudy, opalescent crown while boasting their two biggest hits in the form of 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and 'I Wanna Rock'. Fully remastered in a new gatefold sleeve on translucent blood red vinyl, this anniversary edition comes complete with a bonus LP made up of a previously unreleased live album captured during the Stay Hungry tour in San Bernadino, California in 1984.

Review: Originally released in 1996, October Rust would serve as the fourth full-length from gothic metal legends Type O Negative, as well as the highly anticipated follow up to their 1993 career-height Bloody Kisses. Known for its markedly less gloomy doom metal approach when compared to prior and subsequent projects, the album has grown a devout cult following due to the extensive number of unabashed ballads and compositionally accessible goth rock bangers (reliably shrouded in their own sonic malaise). Boasting the hit single 'My Girlfriend's Girlfriend' as well as their much-adored cover of Neil Young's 'Cinnamon Girl', many could consider October Rust to be the most accessible entry point to those intimidated by the prowess, hair or jawline of the incomparable visionary Peter Steele. Now almost 30 years young, this long overdue reissue comes spread across a limited green & black marbled vinyl 2xLP pressing.

Review: The influence of Type O Negative continues to be felt long after Peter Steele's death signalled the end of the band. The goth metal band have a generous number of high points in their career, and 2003 album Life Is Killing Me is surely one of them. Drawing on his personal struggles at the time, Steele created a powerful statement draped in the grandiose style of rock he had cultivated since the band's debut. As well as the single 'I Don't Wanna Be Me', there was a cover of the song 'Angry Inch' and the opening track 'Thir13teen', a piece of music from classic TV show The Munsters. Two decades on from its original release, this is the first time the album has been released on vinyl, presented as a triple black and green pressing in a trifold sleeve.

Review: Originally released in 1993, and noted as the first album on Roadrunner Records to be certified as Gold in the US (before achieving platinum status in 2000), Bloody Kisses served as the third full-length from gothic alternative metal legends Type O Negative. Boasting some of the band's most renowned cuts such as 'Christian Woman' and 'Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)', while continuing their trend of odd cover versions with the controversial rendition of the Seals & Crofts' track 'Summer Breeze' (which had to be re-recorded and its revised lyrics restored to the original upon Seals & Crofts being offended by Peter Steele's "distasteful" reimagining), the project has since become the high watermark for the group's overall aesthetic and style. This green vinyl 2xLP reissue provides a new definitive home for Steele's revised digipack version that cut away many of the interlinking interludes in an effort to de-clutter the project. A move that may have left a bad taste in other members' collective mouths, but ultimately led to the project being one of, if not, the most notable and adored in the Type O Negative cannon.