Category: Album Reviews

Vicious Bishop ‘Miracle Formula 168’ EP (X Records)

Vicious Bishop ‘Miracle Formula 168’ EP (X Records)

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Formed in 2021, the brilliantly named Vicious Bishop are a punk, ska punk, punky reggae power trio, based in the Lancaster / Morecambe area. The band features drummer Dave Nuttall (ex-Toy Dolls), bassist Adz Woods, and vocalist/guitarist Rich Davenport (ex-Radio Stars). Gaining a good reputation as a live act, they’ve waited until now for their debut release, thefour-track ‘Miracle Formula 168’ EP, which features some pretty special guest appearances…

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Bones Owens ‘Love Out Of Lemons’ (Black Ranch/Thirty Tigers)

Bones Owens ‘Love Out Of Lemons’ (Black Ranch/Thirty Tigers)

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There’s a saying that if life hands you lemons then you squeeze every ounce of juice out of them and make the tastiest drink you can… with this, his latest album, Missouri songsmith Bones Owens squeezes every ounce of raw passion out of his commitment to crafting quality blue-collar rock ‘n’ roll songs – and then spits the pips straight in your face, as he flips you the bird, turns on his cowboy-booted heel, mounts his Harley and roars off into the sunset, leaving you lying, palpitating, in his dust…

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David Bowie – ‘David Bowie’ (Deram)

David Bowie – ‘David Bowie’ (Deram)

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Back in 1967, a little known new singer-songwriter by the name of David Bowie released his debut album on the Deram offshoot of Decca Records. Despite critical approval, it sold poorly. The artist himself would eventually go on to do alright for himself though. That debut album gets the deluxe reissue treatment this week, and with plenty of bonus tracks on offer, there’s much to marvel at with this seminal artist’s first steps, as Jim R now relates…

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Sable Hills ‘Odyssey’ (Arising Empire)

Sable Hills ‘Odyssey’ (Arising Empire)

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Jonny B is continuing his adventure of discovering bands from the far reaches of the globe and this week that takes our globetrotting metal warrior to Japan. While you may immediately think that he’s about to tell you about the next Babymetal or perhaps some J-rock sensation, you would be sorely mistaken. Instead he’s getting to grips with a band who have really nailed the metalcore genre and have already made waves through two consecutive appearances at Wacken Open Air. This alone makes JB think that this is something we need to experience here in the ÜK, so with the arrival of the new album it’s time he made like Homer and went on my own metalcore odyssey.

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Lock Horns ‘Red Room’ (Distortion Project)

Lock Horns ‘Red Room’ (Distortion Project)

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The language of life is filled with little adages to which we all pay attention, sometimes unconsciously. One of the most over-used is the one that claims good things come to those who wait. Well, if such inane little sayings are to be believed, then those of us who have been waiting, holding our breaths until we almost drowned in a pool of our own piss and vomit for five long years for this, the second album from Northern Ireland industrial/tech groovers Lock Horns can finally come up for air and consume every ounce of that valuable oxygen and immediately spit it back in our faces with this declarative and emphatic return.

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Mr Big ‘Ten’ (Frontiers Music)

Mr Big ‘Ten’ (Frontiers Music)

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When the remaining members of this veteran “supergroup” embarked on their ‘BIG Finish’ farewell tour, fans obviously hoped and prayed that, despite one not being announced, their signing off would be accompanied by one last album. Then, out of the blue, a new single – the band’s first new music in seven years defying us to have #GoodLuckTrying to ignore their departure from the rock ‘n’ roll arena, which will see them bid hywl to the Über KIngdom atop the Steelhouse mountain at the end of this month…

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The Commoners ‘Restless’ (Gypsy Soul Records)

The Commoners ‘Restless’ (Gypsy Soul Records)

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This is the second album from Canadian roots rockers The Commoners. The first one, ‘Find A Better Way’ found its way onto a regular rotation on David O’s work journey since he saw them supporting Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton on the ‘Deathwish Blues’ tour earlier this year. Did the follow-up have a similar impact? There’s only one way to find out…

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Arka’n Asrafokor ‘Dzikkuh’ (Reigning Phoenix Music)

Arka’n Asrafokor ‘Dzikkuh’ (Reigning Phoenix Music)

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We know Jonny B is a sucker for metal with a bit of a twist to keep him excited, and in particular he’s been getting really into bands with folk music influences. It started with the classic Finnish/Nordic folk metal but then branched out into folk metal from other cultures with a recent obsession being the fantastic Bloodywood. So when the opportunity to check out an African metal band who weave traditional folk elements into their music there was no way JB would pass that up. He may have had a terrible time trying to spell it, but he’s keen to get involved with Arka’n Asrafokor’s ‘Dzikkuh’.

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Robert Jon & The Wreck ‘Red Moon Rising’ (Journeyman Records)

Robert Jon & The Wreck ‘Red Moon Rising’ (Journeyman Records)

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In the week of the 50th anniversary of the archetypal southern rock single ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ being released by Lynyrd Skynyrd, California rockers Robert Jon & The Wreck release their latest album, ‘Red Moon Rising’. Unlyke Skynyrd (sic), no members of RJ&TW are from any of the southern states of America.  However, this doesn’t prevent the band grabbing hold of the genre and making it their own and yet still include everything expected in a surrrn rawk song. Having been one of the many bitten by this style of music (among many others) all those years ago, it tends to be one of my staple listens. Any music from The Cadillac Three to Black Stone Cherry and these guys will always get David O’s attention at some point.

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