Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Seemingly unable to rest on any of their laurels for long, and already returning just a year on from 2024's noise-rock indebted sixth full-length Coagulated Bliss, ever-prolific grindcore stalwarts Full Of Hell are back with the ferocious Broken Sword, Rotten Shield EP. Featuring notably cleaner production than ever heard prior, the material pays homage to classic death metal motifs whilst eschewing the Melvins worship of their previous outing, with cataclysmic blasbeats and face-metling guitar solos underpinning vocalist Dylan Waker's inhuman shrieks and bellows. Commenting on the retro-style artwork featuring what can best be described as a "dog knight", Walker elaborates - "The dog knights represent these pure defenders against a world of darkness and the feeling of utter grief and defeat when we lose these companions. Along side that metaphor, the song also explains that in this world, all living things are rendered equal in the end, and for some that's a mighty fall."

Review: There's not a huge amount of background we can share on Mysterium, a startlingly beautiful and complex self-titled six-tracker on the always reliable Silver Arrow. A collection of music that lulls you with its blissful moments but still manages to maintain an air of uncertainty about it. A guitar-led dreamscape filled with achingly serene sections, yet underpinned with a real atmosphere that's neither relaxing nor intense, but is ever so-slightly unsettling at times. At least that's true of 'April Food' and 'I Am The Chaos', two tracks that open scoring here. Both seem to build a subtle darkness in comparison with closer 'Turn In', with its quietly rousing and affirming key changes. Taking elements of shoe gaze, beach pop, psychedelic rock, trip hop and more, it's an intoxicating ride through a spectacular unknown.