Smoke Spider are an alternative / grunge / indie rock band from Gothenburg in Sweden and Nervous is their seventh single released to date, released on 14/10/2022.

Comprising of two members, Göran Florström and Johan Granat, these guys really do have a big. big sound and its hard to believe there really is just two of them.

Strumming riffs open up the track before everything else crashes in with its grunge-filled goodiness, taking the listener back to the heady days of the 90’s grunge sound.

The track is hardcore guitar-driven and is as aggressive and in your face as you could possibly get. The dirty guitar sound works so well with the rawness of the singer’s vocals, giving that gritty, edgy vibe to the song that is abundant in alternative rock songs.

A high energy track that sounds almost like it was recorded live, this song gets louder and louder as it progresses, taking the heavy guitar riffs and frantic drumming up a level or three.

The hand shaker sound that is evident all the way through the track is a great added bonus too and with its catchy chorus this will be stuck in your head from hours to come.

I loved this track from the moment it started and can’t wait to hear more from them.

Go and check out Smoke Spider and see if you agree with me 😊

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Originally from Cleveland, Alec Berlin moved to New York City twenty-five years ago after completing a masters degree in jazz performance at Boston’s New England Conservatory. He has played in Broadways Green Day’s American Idiot and has shared the stage with the likes of Elton John, James Taylor, Rob Thomas, Ben Folds, Kenny Wheeler and Rufus Wainwright as well as performing in dozens of Broadway shows including Rent, Wicked, The Lion King and Bright Star.

So, all in all, a VERY talented person indeed!

Life In The Bog is his new six track EP and is a musical journey spanning many diverse genres. The album mixes progressive rock with classic rock and alternative and even throws in some jazz and funk for good measure. All these different genres muddled together is a great mix and one which keeps the listener on his/her toes.

There are funky bass lines galore, fantastic guitar work and awesome synths with great drumming keeping it all locked tightly together and every instrument comes across perfectly and flawlessly.

The album is very experimental but each song leads effortlessly on the next, showing that the placement of the songs is impeccable and that there is great flow and rhythm.

The mix of tempos of the tracks is spot on and each listen reveals something to the listener that may have been missed on the first, second or third play through and the album showcases Alec’s ability to write great compositions and meaningful yet diverse music to the maximum.

A great album and one he should be enormously proud of!

Track Listing:

1 Life In The Bog

2 What I Wish I Had Said

3 Iota (Not One)

4 President’s Day

5 Flatbush Jaywalk

6 ROYGBIV

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On 07/10/2022, Lincolnshire-based Scarlet Joy released the fourth single from their album Mourning Pages, with the album itself due to be released on 25/11/2022. The track is called Queen And Thief and follows Lost At Sea, Rescue and Cut Diamond.

The band are a 3-piece rock band, consisting of Sophia Woodcraft on vocals and guitar, Tom Latham on bass and Drew Moore on drums, and they play a great mix of “potent grunge and emotive alternative rock.”

The track is the story of love, deceit and betrayal and the stripped back intro, with its raw guitar and poignant vocals really draws you in. It starts slowly but soon builds up to a track full of emotion and feeling. Sophia’s voice is haunting and really does take hold of you, and the backing vocals add layers to the lyrics and intensity to the song.

Mix all this in with dirty, grungey guitar work and a strong bass and drum section and you have the gem that is Queen And Thief.

Also, check out the video too. It shows Sophia holding a human heart, really bringing the theme of the track to life.

Although not one for anyone who is a bit queasy with that sort of thing!!

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Every now and then we have to contemplate life and music has a wonderful way of helping us do this. For this, we need great musicians such as Yana.

Yana is a singer/songwriter from the Czech Republic with strong ties to Ireland and music has always been her passion. Funeral Of Life is the third single from her debut album Journey Of The Soul.

With the theme of “rolling with the punches of life and accepting the changes that are inevitable” its something that most people can really relate to, and this is what makes the track so beautiful.

Acoustic folk music with that hint of Irishness creeping in there, this track is haunting. With no percussions or beats, Yana uses a 12-string guitar, layered to give the track depth and dimension, with the bonus of Daryl Ball on the strumstick dulcimer to add a touch of oriental in the background.

At just over two minutes in length, this song is emotional and contemplational, Yana’s music making the listener actually sit up and hear the words and lyrics, reflecting on the messages they are portraying.

This is an introspective track with great harmonies and Yana’s vocals, deep and breathy, are simply perfect for this type of song.

I would really like to hear more from Yana and her talented musicianship and song writing. Its not every day a song moves you, and this one really did.

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

“A rock ‘n’ roll storm is coming from Norway!” and if this track is anything to go by, there certainly is.

Electric High haven’t released anything new for a while, but boy did they come back with a stomper of a tune.

A five-piece hard rock band from Norway, Electric High play a whirlwind of addictive music.

An alternative / hard rock single this track is crazy and in your face from start to finish and reminds me of Primal Scream’s 1990’s hit, Rocks.

There is a great tempo all the way through, and the pace changes really keep the listener engaged.

The vocals are impressive, as are the lyrics, and the funny voices throughout the track are a little quirky added bonus. The guitar work is dirty and uses great riffs and the drumming is energetic and frenzied.

This is such a refreshing track, not like anything I have heard for quite some time and from the very first FFFFF before everything else crashed in, I totally fell in love with it.

I don’t know much about Electric High, but judging by this track, the next offerings from this band are going to be immense!

Bring on the album!!

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Near Death Experience are a four-piece soft / indie rock band from Ealing in London and was formed in 2016.

Living is their latest single, released on 26^th August 2022. Now, there must be a reason why this track was released when it was and the only thing I can come up with is that it is such a big summer track, played loud through the speakers while having a barbeque or whilst driving the car on a long journey.

Reviewing it in November, however, I think has so much more of an effect than if I reviewed in it the summer. At least today, on a cold, dreary November afternoon, the song actually lifted my mood right up and made me long for the summer again.

With its swinging drums and funky, groovy bass lines, its catchy chorus, layered vocals (with additional do-wops!) and its high energy levels, this song has great sing-along-ability and will make you dance around the living room, leaving its mark on you as an ear worm for the rest of the day (I finished listening to it about fifteen minutes ago and its still going round in my head!)

The band’s website state they are a “London based rock band playing shimmering psych-tinged indie pop, where rock, soul and funk collide” and I absolutely love this description. Any music that blurs the lines between genres is always a good thing in my book and this is such a fun, high energy song that it really is impossible not to like it.

I really want to listen to more from this band and be transported to a time of warm sun, cool beers, and sizzling sausages!!

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Wow, wow, bloody wow!!!

We all know how music can make you remember, make you forget, transport you to another world or time, or just lift your spirits, even for a short space of time but one other thing I love about music, is just how it can surprise you!

I absolutely adored this track from the first opening notes to the last. Kicking off with a mellow, dreamy vibe, the song soon built up in energy, emotion and tempo.

The vocals of singer Eline Chavez are just mind-blowing. Strong and powerful, she has taken influence from the likes of Joan Jett, Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge and her style of singing is perfect for the emotion-filled track that is It’s Not Over. And without taking anything away from the obviously very talented musicians that back her, I think it is the vocals that make this track!

Fantastic drumming and bluesy guitars give this track an almost progressive yet rocky feel, that is full of energy and inspiration but one that will make you stop and really listen too.

Onism E are a 4 piece indie rock band based in Texas, USA and, as their website states, is “a culmination of life experiences wrapped up in a soulful package that is carving a unique space within the indie rock world.”

I loved this track and, as something different for me, I will be keeping an ear to the ground for anything else this great band release.

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Trying to find information on Danish artist (((S))) on the internet is nigh on impossible, although this should come as no surprise really since his handle on Facebook is @ungoogable!

For someone who has dedicated his life to making music, he has remained focus in keeping us all in the dark about his real identity. I’m not so sure this is a good thing as his music, which I will come to in a bit, needs to get out to as many people as possible, but if it is something that works for him, then who am I to judge?

(((S))) is a one-man project from Copenhagen in Denmark and Maverick is his seventh album. Considering the fact that (((S)))’s true identity is kept a secret the title of the album, Maverick, is quite poignant too as Maverick actually means “an independent-minded person, a non-conformist.”

Maverick is an album of ten perfectly crafted songs that reflect (((S)))’s own power pop version of post-punk with lyrics that challenge the listener to put the pieces together themselves and is set to connect to his fans and the wider audience in a way that nothing before it did.

The listener is taken on a mellow journey of discovery with rhythmic melodies and thought-provoking lyrics and his vocals are captivating and heart-warming without a hint of aggression despite some of the themes.

The music is guitar-driven with deep guitar sounds and basslines and sits somewhere between pop and punk, influenced by the 80’s Copenhagen punk scene, but with hints of dark wave, new wave, gothic, pop, rock, and blues all showing through.

This is a mysterious, yet extremely talented artist and this album gives us another glimpse into his musical soul and out of the box thinking. It is a beautiful album, each song having its own story and vibe going on and one so full of emotion and power that it really should be heard by more people.

I would love to hear more from (((S))) and I think this album could actually be enjoyed by a very wide audience range. Please go and check it out!

Track Listing:

1) Big Black Beautiful Bird

2) Night Train To Nowhere

3) Mama, Do You Think Its Gonna Rain All Day?

4) Ballet Of The Wolves

5) Summer/Winter

6) Sometimes it Takes Someone Like You

7) Dreams Die, But You Don’t

8) Time Is A Thief

9) Don’t Mess With My Mantra

10) Touch My Heart – Touch My Soul

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

The Hybris (rabbit alias Ringo Rabbit, Beanie Bison and Malcolm Mandrill) have one mission in mind…. And that is to spread the word on political issues through their music.

Formed in 2020 when all members lived in Germany, the band now operate virtually from France, America, and Germany, but all the while still creating music together.

An “international alternative rock project of three friends,” they are three wannabe superheroes who are on a mission to save the world and is the subject of the band’s latest single What If.

With political attitudes in the lyrics, the band “felt like doing something ‘different.’ At first it was a stupid idea, but meanwhile we think it is pretty cool.”

Likened to The Killers, Feeder, The Clash, The Cure and Foo Fighters, the band mix pop, punk, indie and alternative rock to create an eclectic and retro sound that is heavy-hitting and intense.

The hard-hitting lyrics combined with punchy and energetic music give the track an aggressive, angst-ridden feel, something the band can really use to help spread their views on saving the planet as it is now.

The heavy, yet catchy riffs, in your face vocals and skilful use of distortion, both for the vocals and the guitars means this track will force you to sit up and listen to what it is all about.

I don’t normally do politics, but this is a political track with themes that are truly relevant in the here and now.

Go check it out!

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum

Nothing But A Nightmare was formed by four high school friends in Philadelphia and The Salvation is their third album. They have formed an extensive local following from their music releases, playing music festivals, and local venues around the Philadelphia area.

With a nostalgic look back to the emo/punk rock of the 2000’s this is a full-on album from start to finish, with eleven explosive tracks.

Mixing emo pop/rock and alternative rock, Nothing But A Nightmare have used a modern twist with their music, creating a sound all of their own, with even a hint of pop shining proudly shining through.

With heavy crunching riffs, amazing vocals, catchy choruses and lyrics, upbeat melodies and pounding drums this album really does seem to have something that will appeal to everyone.

Its angst filled lyrics that deal with a whole host of teenage problems, from relationships, to loss, to pain, school and general teenage drama, are delivered in an energetic, upbeat way, the pace only dropping for one ballad-esque song and yet, despite the fast-paced, quirky nature of all the tracks, the emotion and pain in the lyrics of each track is portrayed almost perfectly.

I hope this group of young lads go far with their musical career, because they are obviously all incredibly talented, but also because they make bloody good music. If Sum 41 and Fall Out Boy are your type of thing you will love Nothing But A Nightmare. But, if they’re not, I still think you will love Nothing But A Nightmare.

I listened to the album through a good number of times, and I loved it more with each listen. I think you will too!

Track Listing:

1) Baggage Claim

2) Can’t Fix Stupid

3) I Hate You

4) Ready To Roll (Revenge Tour)

5) Start A Fight

6) Devil’s Sidekick

7) She Always Ruins A Good Time

8) Sex With My Ex

9) Pretty Good At Bad Decisions

10) Crossed A.F

11) The Old Days

This review is purely the property of The Metal Asylum