Griffen Handshake is an alt-punk band from Pittsburgh, PA, consisting of brothers, Millen (guitar, vocals) and Arjun Schuchert (drums, vocals), and the duo released this track, Emergency Exit, on 23/12/2022.

The guys concentrate their lyrics on mental health, social media, dating, and the external pressures of carving out a path in life and Emergency Exit tells the story of a date gone horribly wrong!

It’s a punk rock / alternative rock fusion of a track that kicks in immediately after a quick “Check 1,2” with crunching guitars and crashing drums.

The guitar riffs are heavy, as all punk rock tracks should be, but there is a fuzziness of grungy guitars also present, giving the track a newer punk sound. Think more Green Day than The Sex Pistols. The clean guitar solo near the end of the track compliments the heaviness of the rest of the track and is a great way to finish. Funky bass lines underneath the main guitar will make you bounce and the drumming is full of energy.

The vocals are typically punk/emo and really make the song stand out, especially as the leads are backed up by what sounds like about 10 people, although there is just the two of them!

This is an awesome track and one that I will listen to again and again. Punk fans (new and old!) you really need to check these guys out!

Loved it!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Hailing from the US, Gary Dranow is part of the group Gary Dranow And The Manic Emotions and this is a bunch of guys who really making an impression in the rock and blues world.

With their mix of classic rock riffs and bluesy guitar solos, this is a band who have many years of experience between them, and this really does show in the music they produce.

With classic rock vocals, layered with awesome backups that give the track great depth and guitars that could have come straight from the 80’s, this track is given a futuristic yet nostalgic feel with the inclusion of synths and electronic sounds.

As with previous tracks the guitar work is immense, one of the aspects of all the tracks that stands out to me and the drumming is energetic at times, yet more laid back at others. All the musicians work really well together and create a big sound that needs to be heard by more people.

This is the fourth track from Gary Dranow I have reviewed now and I love how every track has had a different vibe to it, showing just how diverse and talented this bunch of guys really are, and how unrestricted they are where genres are concerned!

Once again, this track is upbeat, despite the lyrical content, and will certainly having you tapping your foot, at the very least.

If you haven’t done so already (and why not, I may ask?), please check out Gary Dranow, his Manic Emotions and all of his music! Awesome stuff!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Salt are a Edinburgh-based alternative post-pop punk band, who record and produce all their own music and Fairytale On Fire is their latest album released on 10/12/2022.

Much to my delight, Salt refuse to be boxed in to one genre and leap from one to another throughout the course of the album. They are fiercely independent and play literally whatever the hell they want!

This album really is a sonic journey that takes you on many twists and turns, from almost punk like tracks to ballads, showing just how diverse this band really is.

Sharon Woods has very distinctive vocals and takes us back to the dark sounds of the 90’s. The mix of rock and punk vocals works really well throughout the whole album and her voice really ties everything together. Sometimes haunting, sometimes in your face, her voice really makes the songs stand out.

Musically, the tracks are raw and abrasive but also harmonious and melodic. The dirty guitars remind me of the alternative sound of the late 80’s / early 90’s and distortion gives the album a grungy feel. Use of piano as well as the usual electronic instruments gives the album a very nostalgic feel and shows this type of music is still very much alive.

With fifteen tracks on the album it is just under an hour in length, showing how prolific and productive they are in their writing and for four of them, the album has a really big sound. The songs are catchy, dreamy, punky, rocky, all rolled up into one great album.

This album really is a feast for the ears and is highly recommended for fans of rock, punk, post-punk, po and everything in between!

Excellent job from this great band!

Track Listing:

1 Halo

2 Boxcar

3 The Sea Wakes

4 Fairytale On Fire

5 Clip That Girls Wings

6 Tumbleweed

7 Cold White Hands

8 Dust

9 Suffocate

10 Broken Toys

11 I Gotta Go

12 Demons

13 Candyfloss

14 I Hate You All

15 James Bond

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“Mysterious creatures from the past have come and found some objects, known to us humans as instruments. Soon, they began to groove. Sometimes while playing, their trunks got in the way, making some of their tones sound rather odd.” – how Murrayglossus describe themselves on their Facebook page!

I’ll use slightly different terminology! Murrayglossus are a duo, Ben Haeringer from Berlin and New York drummer James Knoerl, and together they play progressive rock/metal with a bit of jazzcore (I didn’t even know that was a thing!) as well as a bit of everything else.

Earthcore is their debut EP and at about 24 minutes in length, consists of six instrumental tracks, each named after an extinct animal of some kind, even the band name Murrayglossus is an extinct echidna!

Both musicians in this duo come from a heavy metal background and this does show in the music they have produced. Heavy metal riffs and crashing drums are prevalent all the way through, as are bounding bass lines.

Elements of jazz pop up from time to time as does post-rock, sludge and multitude of other genres.

It’s the progressiveness of the EP that makes it stand out from other EPs out at the moment as the music is very technical and there are a plethora of time changes throughout each track and the EP as a whole.

The music, itself, is very sludgey and doomy, and there are some solid grooves throughout.

I have seen these guys being compared to Mastadon and I must say this is a credit to them. The two of them work well together and the interaction of the two is spot on.

If you are a progressive sludge fan who likes a bit of doom in there too, then this is the EP for you!

Tracklist

01. Extinct (Intro)

02. Discoaster

03. Zaglossus Hacketti

04. Elasmotherium

05. Mixotoxodon

06. Teratornis

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Nasmore is a singer, songwriter and composer from Canada and Welcome To The Hell is his new single, released on 06/01/2023 (today!!), featuring Neil Taylor (he played on Tears For Fears album Songs From The Big Chair and is a long term collaborator with the likes of Tina Turner, Chris De Burgh, Natalie Imbruglia, Metallica, Phil Collins, Kylie Minogue, and more) and La Strange.

The track is a great mix of rock, industrial goth and modern R&B and is actually quite spine-tingling in places.

Neil Taylor takes on joint lead vocals with La Strange, his gritty voice the perfect match with La Strange’s beautiful and powerful vocals. If there were ever two voices that needed to sing together it would be these two.

Neil’s guitar work is awesome and a great feature of the track. It’s the electronic beats and sounds that accompany all this that give the track its moody and haunting vibe.

This is a great anthemic track, with big choruses and lyrics that will stick with you for the rest of the day. This track works its way into you and draws you into the music and I absolutely bloody loved it!

I have listened to it on repeat about half a dozen times and I could listen to it half a dozen more!

Rock fans! Goth fans! Metal fans!! You are all going to love this too!

When is the next one out??

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

1st Base Runner is the new project from Texas singer-songwriter and producer Tim Husmann and “the visionary artist draws on shoegaze, alternative and dream pop to create powerful songs that carry the weight of raw emotion and hard-won wisdom.” Nightstalker is their latest EP, released on 11/11/2022.

The four track EP is about 12 minutes in length and will transport you to another dimension, with its electronic beats and soundscapes, and vibrant, ambient music.

The whole EP is hauntingly beautiful and filled with synthesizers, minimal use of guitars, and deep vocalism that really adds to the feel of the EP.

The EP has a very soothing effect and could easily be used meditatively, although track number three, the title track, has a more beat to it and has a slightly more industrial feel to it.

The vocals are poignant and melancholic, especially during track four, The Serpent And Space, but they also have a hypnotising effect, drawing you in to the music.

This EP really is dark, cinematic, ambient, experimental, and, some would say, spine-chilling. Lock yourself in a dark room and put this on your headphones. I listened to it on normal computer speakers but I would imagine having these sounds, words and music pumped straight in to your ears would be a truly spiritual, uplifting and unbelievable experience….in fact I am going to go and do that right now!

If ambient music and haunting vocals are your thing then you are going to love this EP by 1^ST Base Runner. Check this, and other stuff by this Texan and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

Track Listing:

1 In The Neighborhood

2 Dark drive Through The Canyon

3 Night Stalker

4 The Serpent And Space

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

GAZ are a “modern-classic rock band with retro vocals, foot-tapping grooves and powerful guitar riffs” and Some Are Gone is their latest track, released on 19/12/2022.

Starting almost 20 years ago in the city of Barcelona and ignited by a passion for music, “three friends set out on a journey to create music that lifts the spirit and entertains the crowds” and Gaz was born.

The band have a discography that is full of rock, pop, and rock n roll, reminiscent of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, and this track has been written in much the same vein, with even a hint of country slipping int here.

It is a guitar driven track, the riffs both classic and bluesy at the same time and the solos epic enough to think you have been transported back to the 70’s and 80’s. The drumming is laid back at times, but more full on when it needs to be and the basslines help to keep the song solid and strong.

The vocals have a slight country twang to them and this mixed the classic rock base the track has works really well.

The track has a solid tempo to it, and although not quite a ballad, it is not upbeat either and there is a slight melancholy feel to it. The choruses are big as the verses build up to them and there is great singalongability to the track.

This would appeal to classic rock, blues rock and country rock fans alike and I was pleasantly surprised when I first heard it. I hope to hear more from them in the future!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Hailing from the US, Gary Dranow is part of the group Gary Dranow And The Manic Emotions and, unrestricted by any one genre, they are sending ripples through the blues and rock music scene.

This is the third Gary Dranow track I have reviewed now, and I must say that the more I hear, the more I like them.

Kicking of with classic rock riffs, this track is a nostalgic nod back to the 1980’s era. Not quite as bluesy as the previous tracks, this is pure and simple rock n roll!

I, personally, love the guitar work on Gary’s tracks, the classic sound being among my favourites, but there is also a modern twist to the track.

The vocals are earthy and strong and coupled with a female on this track, there is a great contrast that really makes the song stand out.

From all the Gary Dranow tracks that I have reviewed, I think this one is my favourite. Although crossing many genres is a good thing and shows a band’s diversity, sometimes just putting out a straight forward rock song is also the way to go.

This is a track that will really make you bop. It’s upbeat and catchy and will be your ear-worm for the rest of the day (as an added note to the review….I was still humming this two hours later!)

Please, please, please check out Gary Dranow (and The Manic Emotions). Fans of all genres I am sure will love them.

Another great track! Keep them coming!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Harry Kappen is a Dutch musician and music therapist. He is a multi-instrumentalist and composes his songs in his home studio in the Netherlands. WarGames is his latest single, released on 16/12/2022.

Known for making bold statements with his music, Harry has released a politically motivated new single, WarGames, a song that addresses political turmoil across the world, while also bringing a call to action for issues such as climate change, media misinformation, social ignorance and more.

“In the ‘60s and ‘70s, there was a lot of musical protest going on against, among other things, the Vietnam War,” Harry Kappen says. “While there are enough reasons to protest now, I actually hear little resonance in the current music charts. Just check your Top 40. Are war, climate change, hunger, fake news, mistrust, ignorance etc. not reasons enough?”

Mixing classic rock riffs and guitar solos with a slightly alternative, poppy edge has given Harry an upbeat, catchy track that will stop and make people think about the issues it is dealing with.

The vocals are strong enough to portray the message of the track and the musicianship, all of which Harry carries out on his own, is first class. The guitar work stands out for me as one of the highlights of the track and combined with some electronic synth work, the track has a slightly late 80’s / early 90’s vibe.

This is a great track that has a lyric video to accompany it which helps the message get across as much as it can.

I think this will appeal to a wide ranger of people and whether it’s politically charged or not, it’s a great track! People need to check this, and Harry’s other music out!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Indya (meaning “Gorgeous Person” in Gujarati) was first established in January 2015, and is the stage name of rock artist and songwriter Laudez Rose. Raise Ya Vibration is her latest single, released on 15/12/2022.

An addictive fusion of alternative rock, metal, glam with just a hint of punk thrown in, this is an upbeat track that will certainly get you dancing around.

Starting off with just a strong bass line and a whisper in the background, the song soon kicks off with heavy riffs, crashing drums and the punkish vocals of Indya.

The guitars are fuzzy and dirty and there is a distortion on the backing vocals that gives the track a grungy feel, and these are a great contrast to the punky lead vocals.

Having performed with the likes of Noel Gallagher, Space, EMF, Republica, Toploader, UB40, Dub Pistols, Gunn, Soap Girls, SHVPES, Scarlett Riot, Sonic Boom Six, Jackie Lynton, JOANovARC, Metal Works and Nik Kershaw, she certainly is no stranger to the music world and this show is this song.

I really did like this track and if you are a fan of punk / rock / glam fusions then I think you will love it too.

Awesome track!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum