Though Makes Me Sick is still a fun listen--complete with some brilliant lyrical put-downs, genuinely touching moments and echoes of past glories--it doesn’t quite capture NFG at their life-affirming best.

Noticeably less refined than the aforementioned masterpiece, ‘Pendulum In A Peasant Dress’, ‘Tilting At The Univendor’ and ‘Torrentially Cutshaw’ are part of a breathlessly jagged, abrasive, unruly and punk as fuck whole.

11 blistering, confrontational, and breathtakingly intense tracks.

Every Where Is Some Where is in turns intimate, expansive, confessional and inviting--thoroughly addictive on the dark, pulsing and urgent ‘Blood In The Cut’, woozily euphoric on ‘High Enough’, playfully political on ‘The President Has A Sex Tape’ and swirling and sultry on ‘You Felt Right’.

This is so inoffensive, it’ll be hard for anyone to hate--or love.

If they can combine the desperate urgency demonstrated on that first EP (which is a little diminished here) with the more finely-crafted songwriting they’re moving towards, they will be swimming onward, rather than sinking, for a long while to come.

These songs might not be the complete, finished product yet, but as signals of intent go, they’re a crystal clear demonstration that Mallory have what it takes to break through the glass ceiling--to make truly exceptional music of soul-stirring quality.

Few bands out there twist metal into such bewildering, bewitching shapes, and--somehow--there’s little sign of their well running dry.

The songs soar in unison with the band’s grand vision. Those songs are a riot, too.

Problems arise though when things get overly slow and sad, falling into the trap of alienating coldness. Boucher’s pain is evident for all to hear, but it’s rarely inviting.

The Texas crew have created a piece of art that probes into what it means to love and be loved with real intent and passion. If you’ve slept on this band up until now, it’s time to change that.

An honest & emotional record.

This eight-song effort serves as a breathless, panic-inducing assault on the senses; delivering A-grade riffs, punch-in-the-throat immediacy and more ass-kicking per second than many will be able to withstand.

Skillfully sketched melodies are their calling card and, while it has virtually no bite or cutting edge to speak of, there is enough craft and subtle depth here to warrant repeat listens.

Mattie aims to start conversations, change minds and make a difference, and with a collection of tracks that are as catchy as they are provocative, he’s on his way.

It’s a challenging and, at times frustrating listen, with great melodies getting lost amongst the feedback--but it begs your attention nonetheless.

Safe In Sound’ is clearly engineered for the airwaves; almost every song produced and polished to within an inch of its life. ... That’s not to say that Safe In Sound is without its triumphs – there’s still an abundance of riches to enjoy here.

This is the band’s 10th studio album, and it’s chock full of chugging, anthemic rock songs, torn straight from the ’80s airwaves. That’s no bad thing, even if in places, The Trigger Complex does sound lost in time.

It adds up to another deft, mature and utterly addictive release.

For those unfamiliar with the band’s at times world-class back catalogue, this disc is a fine--if fleeting--new entry point.

It’s an album dripping with class, craft, heart and soul and Deaf Havana’s most accomplished to date--a step out of their comfort zone and a step up in every regard.

While none quite make it all the way, they do end up nestling rather nicely among the planets.

More than a decade on from ‘Orchestra Of Wolves’, Frank is still singing from a different hymn sheet to everyone else, and that’s well worth celebrating.

While they’ve ramped up the production values on this follow-up, its nine tracks retain the reckless zest for life that have defined their creators’ output.

Whether opting for the sledgehammer (check out the riffs on ‘The New Reality’) or an icy scalpel (the warped post-punk of ‘Ugly’), the Pittsburgh four-piece rain down a hail of killer blows. Welcome to Hell.

This is the sound of a band re-discovering the aggression that made them so great in the first place, and applying it ably to their new template.

Crammed with skyscraping melodies and moments of spine-tingling poignancy, it stands them in the best possible stead for packing out stadiums and headlining festivals in the near future. They’ve fulfilled their side of the bargain with these 10 songs.

While the spacious (and slightly dreary) prog textures remain, the lurching riffs of ‘Resurge’ and melodic highs of ‘Ornament’ hit the bullseye; showing how talented these four musicians truly are.