They're suspended in an airy updraft of synths and clean guitar lines that are so '70s prog-rock they should be wearing a Rick Wakeman from Yes-styled cape. [27 Jun 2015, p.52]

Basically a single with extra padding, Recorrupted is nothing more than a forgettable stopgap release. [19 Nov 2011, p.51]

It plays out like a sulking child trapped in the seat of a supermarket trolley. [18 Jul 2015, p.52]

Impeccably executed as it all is, though, the songs lack genuine distinction and the whole thing plays out in a series of weary cliches. [13 Aug 2011, p.52]

Occasionally its brilliant--as on the thumpy disco electronics of V.I.T.R.O.L. and the sweetly memorable Hold Your Fire. Sadly, an equal amount of it flounders in a haze of boring shoegaze. [11 Jun 2016, p.53]

The main selling points of this album are a sleek production job and the technical performance of vocalist Conor Mason, who once again proves himself to be in possession of some serious lungs. The problem, however, is that despite the surface sheen, too many of Moral Panic’s songs fail to really go anywhere.

Aside from brief moments in songs such as Satellites and Why Can't We Do It Again, the best thing about The Trigger Complex is its title. [11 Feb 2017, p.52]

The Oracle sounds like it was written on autopilot, with the band ticking off the ingredients that made previous albums sell with out injecting any fire or imagination. [3 Jul 2010, p.51]

On tracks like Can't Knock The Hustle, Piece Of Cake and High As A Kite, the smartness and deceptive simplicity is lost under a wash of electronic beats and un-catchy melodies. ... They sound boring. [23 Feb 2019, p.54]

You can hear where he's heading with ideas, but, for the most part, these are more sketches than fully-formed songs. [16 Jan 2016, p.52]

In the larger context of the lack of musical progression and creative imagination, the inertia that is Off!'s modus operandi is nothing less than depressing. [5 May 3012, p.53]

The album is one long ambient jam and precisely as exciting as that sounds. [16 Jan 2016, p.53]

Volbeat still sound like a band desperately searching for an identity to call their own. [3 Aug 2019, p.59]

America is an odd album, one that requires patience to unlock. [7 Apr 2018, p.54]

He goes from pretty ditties to outright tedium as songs drag on interminably and eventually, unlistenably. [10 Nov 2012, p.53]

With Vice & Virtues Panic At The Disco sound like the kind of people your grandparents would like. That doesn't mean that they are people who make bad music, but it does mean that they are creators of an album that does not rock. [26 Mar 2011, p.50]

For its first half, Life, Love & Hope plays to Boston's strengths.... Sadly, from the insipid If You Were In Love onwards, the album loses its way catastrophically. [7 Dec 2013, p.53]

8 isn't terrible, but it is boring, which is much worse. [13 May 2017, p.51]

Sadly, Sum 41 spread the good stuff far too thin over an ambitious but not always successful 15 songs, and, to paraphrase an old title of theirs, there's too much filler and not enough killer material to truly convince. [26 Mar 2011, p.52]

Despite only clocking in at 42 minutes it feels like it drags on for ages. And the copious use of samples to remind you it’s an industrial record gets tiring.

New singer Jasen Moreno has an adequate bark, but the songs themselves are the problem. [30 Mar 2013, p.54]

Atreyu’s act of streamlining has sanded many of their edges clean off, leading to moments that sound like they’ve been made by anyone but the actual authors.

Most of Super Collider feels half-hearted and rushed. [1 Jun 2013, p53]

The rest of these songs weren't good enough to make it onto 2005's Make believe or 2008's Weezer (The Red Album), which says it all really. [6 Nov 2010, p.51]

Command The Weather quickly becomes boring through repetition. [9 Jul 2016, p.52]

If you want hits, there's already a better Best Of available--1997's A-Sides--while if you want a rarities album, this isn't it. [2 Oct 2010, p.51]

It feels like there's not much tread left on the tyres, although the speaker-thumping production of Hexed make it a cut above 2015's I Worship Chaos. [9 Mar 2019, p.55]

Boys Like Girls have crafted a record simple and effective enough for mainstream ears. It's just a shame that absolutely no punk 101 is required. [8 Dec 2012, p.52]

Flat, uninspired riffs dressed up in pointless electronics and presided by the watery wailing of Darroh Sudderth. [30 Jul 2011, p.51]

The instrumental epics remain compelling, but, as a complete work, this is too enveloped in its diverse attempts to please everyone to truly wow anybody from start to finish. [21 Aug 2010 ,p.51]

There are points at which this all feels a little hollow. [6 Dec 2014, p.52]

Frontman Tyler Connolly spends a little less time moping than previously, and throws in subjects such as domestic violence, racism and politics, but when the musical backing is this over-polished and ultimately mundane, it’s hard to care what he’s singing about.

If all you're after is a pit-bothering lurch 'n' grind then My Damnation has it in spades, but if you're looking for anything more memorable, you'd best be looking elsewhere. [30 Jul 2011, p.52]

A record that is surprisingly flat and unremarkable. [21 Jul 2018, p.55]

There's a certain dumb fun attached to the gonzo country rock of Drinking Beer With Dad, but, in truth, we'd be lion to you if we said First Kiss was good. [14 Feb 2015, p.53]

Siren Charms is decent enough, but it's so by-the-numbers it could have been written on a calculator. [6 Sep 2014, p.54]

The opener The Silver String is somewhat plodding and predictable isn't the best start, and unfortunately these are two words that can be applied with far too much frequency. [21 May 2016, p.52]

It seems Punk Goes Pop has finally run its course. [22 Nov 2014, p.51]

Slave To The Game shows that they've made no attempt to advance from the tedious, well-worn and weary chug, breakdown and death growl routine. [14 Apr 2012, p.54]

Too often, each song's relentless march toward the kind of chorus you can imagine providing the soundtrack for a bevy of beautiful, suburban cheerleaders is too much to take. [4 Feb 2017, p.52]

While they're not without their spark and charm in places, PTH still frustrates as a band who struggle under the weight of their own ideas. [2 Apr 2011, p.52]

There are also songs that will undoubtedly kick it live, but it's not enough to prevent this from sounding merely ...nice. [10 Jun 2017, p.52]

It's a pleasant enough record, but not one that will rouse or inspire beyond Dallas' already charmed following. [12 Oct 2019, p.55]

The bad news for Disturbed fans, and unsurprising news for their detractors, is that Divisive is an average record. Hearing the first three tracks – opening single Hey You, the leaden Bad Man, and the forgettable title-track – one hopes they’re mere aberrations and that the quality high-octane arena fodder will arrive imminently. Alas, it never does.

At his worst it feels more like a parody than a tribute. [29 Oct 2011, p.51]

It all moves along at a slow-burning pace, rather than the usual cocky swagger. [20 May 2016, p.52]

As far as comebacks go, sadly, this is not a good one. [29 Oct 2011, p.52]

It's all formula though, and fresh ingredients are few and far between. [3 Oct 2015, p.52]

In truth this is pale goth rock crap. [5 Nov 2011, p.52]

Weird! is a collection of good moments disappointingly hidden under an avalanche of sugar.

These inoffensive songs will take up almost none of your mind's capacity for thought or pleasure. [12 Mar 2016, p.53]

A largely drab album. [10 Feb 2018, p.51]

Scattershot. [20 Jan 2018, p.53]

Blood Incantation have definitely achieved what they set out to accomplish and it’s by no means executed poorly, it’s just lacking the instantaneous spark that their previous two releases encompassed.

Every tracks leaves you wanting more (and not in a good way), and while Mates of State don't do anything wrong, they don't do much right, either. [6 Jun 2015, p.52]

Too many songs utilise the same plodding, mid-paced grooves and simple, one-line refrains. [5 Oct 2013, p.54]

It can be boring and not much fun. [19 Nov 2011, p.50]

The production is big on bluster and stadium-sized punch, but, sadly all of the passion's also been squeezed out here. [19 Feb 2012, p.51]

With its obvious choruses and routine abrasive sections,, the more discerning ear will recognize that this band wield far more force than they do finesse. [29 Oct 2011, p.52]

There is nothing incendiary here. [27 Aug 2011, p.51]