Back catalogue: Metal

Review: Fear Inoculum brought a 13-year Tool hiatus to an end in typically dramatic, knock-your-socks-off and blow wind through your hair style. A fine example of what the group have always done so well - running with wolves like Mogwai, only with far more metal sensibilities, and a damn-sight bigger helping of experimentalism, when this bad boy arrived in 2019 it shot straight to the top of the US Billboard 200, the third consecutive record from the group to do so.

Of course, those charts don't necessarily mean as much in this age as they did when the preceding Tool LP dropped, but 270,000 album-equivalent units within the first week do not lie. Nor does the quality of work here. From the avant-garde percussion and awkward synths of 'Chocolate Chip Trip', to the almost-ethereal ambience of 'Legion Inoculant' and the riff and crescendo heavy 'Pneuma', it's a wild thing of beauty.

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: 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: Although forming in 1987, the initial tenure of New York City hard rock heroes Tyketto was a simple case of wrong place, wrong time. 1991's debut album Don't Come Easy was a moderate success, boasting the hit single 'Forever Young' and taking them on the road with Whitesnake, but by the time they would submit their second full-length to Geffen Records, it would be outright rejected due to label's increasing interest with the grunge scene and a desire to leave "hair metal" and all of its intersecting genres in the 80s. With a myriad of lineup changes, even featuring Steve Augeri on vocals for a spell before his time in Journey, the band would eventually dissolve until 2004. One reunion tour would lead to another, and as of 2025, they're still playing shows, with the vast majority in attendance likely there to hear the barrage of bangers this overlooked AOR-meets-glam metal debut offers.

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.