I probably say this most weeks, but today’s #NewMusicFriday is rather thin on the ground. However, I’ve still picked out three releases that are worth your time.
Two of them, Coheed and Cambria‘s ‘The Father of Make Believe’ and ‘Let the Light In’ by US shoegaze/post-rock/metal quartet SOM are covered in detail elsewhere on the site. While J-Rock mob Man With A Mission‘s 15th birthday EP, ‘XV’, is both a celebration and solid entry point for the Wolf mask-wearing group.
Among today’s other releases, Haken guitarist Charlie Griffiths assumes the moniker of Tiktaalika as his new record, ‘Gods Of Pangaea’, thrives in melodic metal. With cameos from several vocalists including Tommy Rogers (Between The Buried & Me), and Rody Walker (Protest The Hero), Griffiths and. Tiktaalika celebrates the power of the riff in abundance. Griffiths isn’t the only one going solo this week. Ricky Warwick, vocalist for Black Star Riders and The Almighty, drops ‘Blood Ties’. As you can expect, it’s the usual set of rousing hard rock that Warwick is associated with. Meanwhile, Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson is proficient as ever as he delivers ‘The Overview’. A two-track, 41-minute return to his prog rock roots.
There are also releases from Red Fang, Museum of Light, alternative hip-hop collective clipping., Liverpudlian indie-rockers Courting, along with much more.
Coheed and Cambria – The Father of Make Believe
When most of your discography is made up of a layered sci-fi saga, each release can carry an extra weight of expectation. That is where Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez finds himself as the band release their 11th album. ‘The Father of Make Believe’ is the third act in ‘Vaxis’ five-part narrative. However, Sanchez considers this album a “midlife crisis”. It sees him intertwining personal experiences into ‘Vaxis’ (and ‘The Amory Wars’) overarching narrative.
For example, the succulent power ballad, ‘Meri of Mercy’, sees him pay tribute to his late Grandparents in the form of familiar characters; Sirius and Meri Amory. Weaving loss into his fictional narrative allows Sanchez to reunite the pair.
Man With A Mission – XV EP
The Wolf head-wearing Japanese outfit known as Man With A Mission are celebrating their 15th anniversary with an EP coincidentally titled ‘XV’. With eight live songs from a show in Mexico last year tacked on, the EP part can be misleading. However, it does contain four new songs that scurry across hard rock, nu-metal, and alt-rock/metal as the half-man half-wolf collective showcase their brand of J-rock.
‘Vertigo’ is an adrenaline-rush with a thunderous rhythm section, record scratches, rapid vocals, and a massive hooky chorus. As an opener, it succeeds in its intentions; sounding bold and defiant. ‘Circles’ maintains the momentum, packing a hefty punch through its soaring chorus. Its introspective words organically give the track an emotional layer, before pulsating electro beats make a brief appearance.
‘Reaching For The Sky’ sees those beats in full force, supporting the only Japanese-sung original here. With its fast tempo and energetic melody, it’s a thrillingly upbeat offering serving as a whirlwind reminder of what Man With A Mission are all about. The “main” portion of ‘XV’ closes on a more reflective note. ‘whispers of the fake’ brushes with a hint of country rock alongside brooding hard rock. Words of deception and disillusionment merely add to the darker tone.
The addition of eight live fan favourites serves as a thank you to those who have been with MWAM for the past 15 years. While as a collection, ‘XV’ fulfils its purpose of celebrating the milestone with the four new tracks showing there’s plenty of life in these wolves just yet. Furthermore, it’s an ideal entry point to Man With A Mission‘s genre-crossing brand of rock. Whether that be through the new material or live cuts on offer.
SOM – Let the Light In
With its ranks including former members of Caspian, Constants and Junius, US “doom pop” purveyors SOM return with their third album – ‘Let the Light In’. While past releases saw them dwell on the darkness of the world, this new eight-track collection aims to be introspective, as the quartet seek solace and reconciliation from themselves and others around them. It also sees the line-up be reconfigured as Justin Forrest moved over to drums to replace the departed Duncan Rich. While singer Will Benoit swaps guitar for bass.
On the surface, this is achieved by producing a melancholic series of songs. Opener ‘Don’t Look Back’ quickly establishes this. With its cinematic space rock tone, Benoit, Rich, along with guitarists Joel Reynolds and Mike Repasch-Nieves are able to lift listeners up, balancing cathartic vocals with edgy guitars.
Read the full review here.
What is out on #NewMusicFriday?
Coheed and Cambria – The Father of Make Believe
Man With A Mission – XV EP
SOM – Let the Light In
Tiktaalika – Gods Of Pangaea
Museum of Light – Diviner
Red Fang – Deep Cuts
Ricky Warwick – Blood Ties
clipping. – Dead Channel Sky
Steven Wilson – The Overview
Courting – Lust for Life, Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story
Cleopatrick – Fake Moon
KEG – Fun’s Over
No More Lullabies – Realign
Two Point Oh – Two Point Oh
Black Out The Sun – More To Life
Bruised Core – Cloaked World
Buried – Infect & Replicate
Dorothy – The Way
Derision Cult – Mercenary Notes Pt. 2
Downpour – Where There Is Life, There Is Hope
Heathen – Bleed the World: Live
Rwake – The Return Of Magik
The Dead Rabbitts – Redefined
The Oddeven – Outer Space Outtakes
Don’t Get Buried – Infect & Replicate
Embrium – Timekeeper
Guts Club – Please Come Back To The Farm
Then It Ends – Closure (Deluxe Edition)
Transgressions – Fading Away
When Reasons Collapse – Men Will Be The End Of Men
Revision, Revised – Revision, Revised
Lone Striker – Lone Striker
If you think I’ve missed something or have a new album/EP/song to tell us about, tell us about it here.
If you’re looking for the latest tracks focusing on rock, punk, hardcore, metal, emo, and everything in between, then check out our ‘Newish Music’ playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.
