Ghostvolume x Trust One - High Concentrate (2025)

High Concentrate is a nice dose of instrumental hip-hop (with a MC Nuse Tyrant featuring on one track) from producers Ghostvolume and Trust One, all being regulars of the Californian M25 label. The mood of the album often evoke old-school occult/horrorcore boom-bap but with also a smoother somewhat trip-hop feel as well that reminds DJ Shadow (with also the jungle loops and smart sampling). Highly recommended!

 

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La Dispute - No One Was Driving The Car (2025)

I'm still not that much into post-hardcore and emo, but I always pay attention when La Dispute release another album. No One Was Driving The Car is another nice piece in their discography and like usual the vocals really shines, sometimes screamed, sometimes spoken, or half-spoken half-screamed. Recommended!

 

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Uulliata Digir - Uulliata Digir (2025)

First and self-titled album from Polish band Uulliata Digir. And what a strong debut it is! Could be described as death/black progressive death metal, with sax and male/female vocals sometimes screamed, sometimes more melodic, great and special in any case. The use of the sax is also especially good. And their music has a dissonant and weird feel that make them definitely closer to Imperial Triumphant or Oranssi Pazuzu than to Opeth. But they managed to craft a distinctive style from the start. If I had made an AOTY list last year, it should have been included. Highly recommended!

 

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Hold Me Down - Devour (2025)

From their debut EP and this second album, Devour, it sounds like Hold Me Down mostly developed their Godflesh whorship side. Well, a more personal style wouldn't harm, but I have to say that talented disciples of the Godflesh are also always welcome as well. And Hold Me down are for sure excellent at doing the godfleshian kind of industrial metal. If you're into it, you'll enjoy Hold Me Down.

 

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Deadguy - Near-Death Travel Service (2025)

I'm discovering Deadguy with Near-Death Travel Service, their first album after their classics of the nineties. I won't compare it with their older stuff, in any case Near-Death Travel Service is definitely great on its own. It's an extremely strong piece of hardcore/noise rock hybrid, reminding both Black Flag and Unsane and Today is The Day. With excellent songs and especially good spoken/screamed vocals. Yes, most reunion of bands inactive during 30 years doesn't end up very exciting, but don't make the error of thinking it would be the same here, it's a really impressive reunion album. A total success.

 

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Soft Kill - Escape Forever (2024)

Escape Forever (released in 2024) isn't the most recent Soft Kill release, but I'll review this one because I think it's the most remarkable of the recent Soft Kill stuff (and the guy doing Soft Kill is too prolific to review everything he does). It saw an important shift for Soft Kill, basically it's when it got quite happy. Could have been a disaster for the inspiration and the music, but no. It's not so much a change of style than a change of mood. It still reminds The Cure a lot (the sound, the singing), just now it reminds The Cure happier songs... And it turns out to be one of the best Soft Kill releases. Recommended!

 

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Backengrillen - Backengrillen (2026)

I have mixed feelings about this one. Backengrillen has Dennis Lyxzén on vocals, two other ex-Refused members, Magnus Flagge on bass and David Sandström on drums and Mats Gustafsson on sax, and is released by Svart Records. So I had big expectations. It turns out I think it's a good album and I enjoy listening to it, but for the most part it sounds like doom metal with sax and Lyxzén singing, which is fine, but I expected something more exciting. Also, maybe it sounds a bit too much like long improvisations than songs, which it kinda is since the album has been done in three days. Anyway, the faster and more rocking, with a somewhat stoogian vibe, song in the middle of the album is great, and the songs all have some great sax playing, more melodic/lyrical than I expected from Gustafsson, but why not, when it's good it's good... 

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