Bygone - Bygone (2025)

Bygone is an excellent first self-titled album, merging synth propelled space rock and hard rock/heavy metal. It reminds at time Deep Purple and more often Hawkwind, but with also a touch of more recent stoner sound. Epic and catchy songs with great vocals. A strong start, recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Roadwolf - Midnight Lightning (2023)

With this second album, Midnight Lightning, Austrian band Roadwolf confirms the excellent impression left by their first one. Top quality traditional heavy/speed metal reminding Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but also Motörhead and Scorpions. Highly recommended if you're into this kind of stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

 

Danko Jones - Power Trio (2021)

While I felt Danko Jones previous album (A Rock Supreme in 2019) was good but less inspired and memorable than their best ones, Power Trio really sound like a return to form. Sharper, more rocking, their hard rock/garage rock is again at its best, the vocals and lyrics are as good as usual, the guitar playing is simple but done with just the right feel, and many songs on the album would be worthy additions to their setlist. One of the best hard rock / rock album of the year. Really recommended.

Official website

 

Roadwolf - Unchain the Wolf (2020)

 

If you're into traditionnal / NWBHM heavy metal, the first Roadwolf album Unchain the Wolf  (released last year) is a great pick. An album filled with great songs reminding the early works of  Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Really cool stuff. 

Roadwolf website

 

Warish - Next to Pay (2021)

Next to Pay is the second album from Warish (I also recommend the first one Down in Flames). Their music sound like a mix of Black Flag, Black Sabbath and Nirvana, but moving closer to the first and the third on this slightly rawer second album. Cool stuff.

The BC page.

 

Pimmit Hills - Heathens & Prophets (2020)

Pimmit Hills is the new band formed by King Giant members after one guitarist left, but, while keeping a King Giant flavour, especially with the exceptional vocals of Dave Hammerly, it's also a different thing musically. Their first release Heathens & Prophets is less epic and heavy metal but is more 70'  heavy blues and stoner, a bit like a mix of King Giant, Mountain and Kyuss. And they also do that with a lot of class. I miss KG but I'm happy to be able to listen to Pimmit Hills, talented musicians with one of the very best heavy metal singers. Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

 

Turbo Distortion - Les Flammes de l'enfer (2020)

Les Flammes de l'enfer is the second album from the French Canadian band Turbo Distortion. They play some AC / DC inspired hard rock, with vocals in French. They do it very well and the album is a really enjoyable and fun listening. Bien joué les gars !

Their website.

 

Sons of Disaster - Cursed (2020)

Cursed is the second album from Belgian rockers Sons of Disaster. It's a very fine piece of speed rock / hard rock that could remind Peter Pan Speedrock or Zeke as well as Nashville Pussy, with also a touch of old school hardcore in an Agnostic Front vein. Well done and enjoyable, a very cool album.

The Bandcamp page.

MIDNIGHT - Rebirth by Blasphemy (2020)

Rebirth by Blasphemy is MIDNIGHT fourth album (one every three year since 2011) and they stay faithful to their hard/heavy/speed metal in a Venom vein (but played tight and sharp), it's similar to their previous albums, and it's as good. Traditional metal done right.
Cool stuff. I enjoy it.

The Bandcamp page.

King Gorm - King Gorm (2020)

King Gorm was a Danish king, but this King Gorm is a Californian band. On this outstanding first album they sound half 70' style progressive rock and half early heavy metal, imagine a mix of Yes, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, and Ghost. Keyboards melodies? Check. Epicness? Check. A bit cheesy? Well, yes, check, but here it's more a plus than a problem. A very nicely crafted and addictive album, I really enjoy it.
Oh, and I can't resist posting the picture of the band, I usually don't do that, but they are so triumphantly magnificent on this picture...

The Bandcamp page.

Best of 2019 : the eclectic list

I've already posted a best of grindcore list (HERE) a best of death metal list (HERE), a industrial/electronic best of list (HERE), and now I post a list of every album that I really liked in 2019 that doesn't belong in one of those list, from hardcore to hip-hop to jazz here it is :

 Black Mountain - Destroyer

Christian Scott - Ancestral Recall

Dead Neanderthals - Ghosts

Endorphins Lost - Seclusions

Flying Luttenbachers - Shattered Dimension

Full of Hell - Weeping Choir

John Zorn – The Hierophant

King Midas Sound - Solitude

Lightning Bolt - Sonic Citadel

L’orange - Complicate Your Life With Violence

Mike Patton & Jean-Luc Vannier

Obscuringveil – Fleshvoid to Naught

Refused - War Music

Shit& Shine - Doing Drugs, Selling Drugs

Sole – Destituent 

Teethof the Sea - Wraith

  

Turbohaler - Metal Vessel Music

Guitar Wolf - Love & Jett (2019)

To make it quick, if you like garage rock played with frenzy and everything in the red (vocals in japanese included), then Guitar Wolf is just the band you need, they do that, only that, and they do it well. That's what they do again on their twelth album Love & Jett, and that's cool.

The BC page.

Black Mountain - Destroyer (2019)

Destroyer, Black Mountain's fifth album (I liked them since their first, you should check their whole discography) is maybe their more "heavy metal" one, a kind of neo proto heavy metal crossed with space rock and stoner, think a mix of Black Sabbath (maybe in its Never Say Die incarnation), Hawkwind and Blue Oyster Cult. Black Mountain at their most heavy, epic and progressive. An excellent album with memorable songs, including a good ending with a nice David Bowie tribute (not a cover but indoubitably a tribute). Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

The Dogs - Before Brutality (2019)

The first album I review for 2019 is from The Dogs it's a garage band from Oslo (Norway), Before Brutality is their seventh album (they are releasing an album each january since 2013!). I discovered them with their previous album Death by Drowning which was excellent and this one is really good as well so I had to review it. They play some garack rock with good Farfisa organ melodies, they write good songs and have a really good vocalist able to sing raw a bit like Sparky from Demented are Go but can also be melodic, nearly crooning. They're among the best band around in this style and are doing it with their own personnality. Good stuff.

Their website

Turbonegro - Rock'n'roll Machine (2018)

Six years after the disapointing Sexual Harassment (which was ok, but not up to Turbonegro's standards) Turbonegro are back with Rock'n'roll Machine, their second album with the new singer, and they now have also a new keyboardist (are there's quite a lot of keys on this album, and it's not a problem even if it can be a bit perturbating at first). This time this is a great album that fits (I first wrote "fist" oh well...) nicely in their discography. Pure Turbonegro style with many really memorable songs that could become new Turbonegro classics. Do yourself a favour and check it!
Oh, and I saw them this summer and it was awesome, if you have the occasion to go to one of their concert, just do it, you won't regret.

Their Website.

Hank von Hell - Egomania (2018)

Egomania is the first album from Hank von Hell who used to be Turbonegro's singer as Hank von Helvete (Helvete is Norwegian for Hell). It's fun and feel good hard rock in pure Turbonegro style, no surprise for sure, but who would complain since it's so good?
A convincing comme back!
Turbonegro with Hank von Helvete was good of course but now  in 2018 we have a good album from Turbonegro ("Rock'n'roll machine") and a good Hank von Hell album, "Egomania", so everything is good and well. Double fun double rock'n'roll!

Hank von Hell website

Majestic Mass - Savage Empire of Death (2018)

Majestic Mass and their first release Savage Empire of Death is another good find from caligari Records. Their garage speed metal sound a bit like a mix of Venom and The Lords of Altamont. Evil and Fun rocking. Yeah!

The Bandcamp page.

La Muerte - La Muerte (2018)

La Muerte is a Belgian band that released five albums from 1983 to 1994 and are now back with a new, self titled, new album. Honestly I  didn't knew about their old albums but I will definitley try to find it since the new one is so awesome. Their music is an excellent kind of le'ts say "heavy garage noise rock", sounding like somewhere between Entombed, The Stooges and Unsane. sounds good eh? well, they do it even better than what you can expect. Super strong and addictive stuff.

their webpage on the Mottow Soundz website.

Iron Lamb - Blue Haze (2018)

Blue Haze is Iron Lamb third album, another one filled with excellent hard rock sounding half Motörhead half Swedish hard rock (Turbonegro, Glucifer, etc.) with a good balance between all out straight forward rocking and some more melodic songs. I guess you already know by now if it could be your kind of stuff, my advice is, go for it!

The Bandcamp page.

Second Sun - Hopp​/​Förtvivlan (2015)

Very cool album, at the same time very classic and very special. On this first album called Hopp​/​Förtvivlan (don't ask me what does it means... but it does add to the magic), released two years ago (it's been two years I plan to review this one, go figure why it took me so long... pff) Second Sun, a swedish band with Tribulation drummer offer some classic heavy rock with touches of psychedelia. Very 70' inspired but not like all these retro-rock band. Because it's far better than most, and because it's not only classic but also very surprising, the singing in swedish plays a part in that, but there's also something else... maybe "just" great songwriting... great stuff anyway. Just try it and you won't regret.

The Bandcamp page.