Notre-Dame of Tokyo is two brothers from a small town in France who moved to London, despite not speaking the language, and they now mix Scandinavian metal and German industrial rock with British melodies.

Hexagon, their latest song released on 22/09/2023, is the first single from their upcoming album Weightlessness and is a fast-paced, punchy track that shows what it is all about right from the off.

The punk element is clear to hear with short, hard-hitting riffs and quirky vocals that are full to the brim of the punk attitude and style. With the heavy riffs, fast guitars and pounding drums this song appears to have it all with influences creeping in from other genres, including metal and industrial. 

The vocals add an element of craziness to the track, and this combined with backup vocals, both in the same vein and also more gothic and haunting (which really does make for a great contrast) there is a great depth to the song.

The change of pace throughout the song really keeps the listener engaged with it and there is so much going on in the track that just one listen through is not enough to hear all it has to offer. The energy that is emitted from this track really is immense and the two brothers have really created a big sound for themselves.

Check out Notre-Dame of Tokyo and see what you think of their unique style of music for yourself. You will be bouncing around the room in no time!

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum

Dial Drive is a punk rock band from Orlando in Florida and Burning Bridges is their long awaited second album, released on 22/09/2023. Consisting of members Jake LeDrew on guitar and vocals, Nate Durazzo on guitar and vocals and Billy Morrissey on drums, the band take their influence from the likes of Alkaline Trio, NOFX, Taking Back Sunday and Pennywise, and they are not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves.

Written mostly due the covid epidemic, a lot of the songs are angrier than the previous album, but this has created a great set of tracks that have been included on the album.

With its foundations firmly in the punk rock genre, this album also takes influences from other genres to generate a fantastic sound that is upbeat, full of energy and has that great attitude of the punk rock genre.

The guitars are heavy, with riffs flying around left, right and centre, the hooks and melodies really pulling the listener in, and the drumming is frenetic and busy. The music side of this album sounds a bit like organised chaos, but this only adds to its charm and appeal.

The vocals are strong and powerful and full of defiance and brashness. The combination of vocal styles from shouty punk rock vocals to clean singing to almost metalcore growls and screams really is great to hear and making the appeal of the album reach out to a wider audience. With backup vocals in much the same vein, the tracks have great depth and dimension and there really is a great atmosphere to the album.

Some of the tracks are faster than others which are more melodic, but the intensity and power of the band is evident in every single song, showing just how talented the trio are.

This is a great sophomore album and I intend to check out the first, titled Wasted Time which was released in 2019. These guys have an immense sound and fans of punk rock (old and new), and alternative rock are going to love this!

Track Listing:

1) Wake Up

2) Falling Down

3) Bury Me

4) Keep Speaking

5) Death

6) Burning Bridges

7) Guilty Blue

8) A Thousand Lies

This review is the property of The Metal Asylum