HAYWARDxDÄLEK (2025)

This album is a collaboration between English drummer/composer (here also playing keyboards) Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now) and American MC/producer Will Brooks aka dälek. Overall this is amongst the most minimalist/atmospheric works from dälek, and also amongst my favourites. The dreamy atmospheres are great, and the drumming brings more variations than usual beats. I love the overall feel of the album, and I think its more instrumental nature makes the vocals more impactful, making it sound always very deliberate, controlled and to the point. This combination will make some of the tracks classics amongst dälek already full of masterpieces discography. Between the word and the drum, Breath slow, As children chant, are totally awesome. A great collaboration, a great album, highly recommended! 

 

The BC page. 

 

Labyrinth of Stars - Spectrum Xenomorph (2022)

Spectrum Xenomorph, released in 2002, was the first album from German band Labyrinth of Stars (with guys from Lantlos and Valborg / Owl). I really recommend it if you're into both death-metal and more industrial and dissonant sound, with also a spacey element. They create atmospheres that could remind bands like The Amenta, Meshuggah and Godflesh. And, except the long ambient track closing the album, which isn't so bad, but not really memorable either, not really a problem but more like a lost opportunity, the songs are all very solid. I really wish they will release another one.

 

The BC page. 

 

Today Is The Day - Never Give In (2025)

The new Today Is The Day starts with a big metal riff, but actually Never Give In leans a lot more on the bleak noise rock side. And it does it very well, a great noise rock album and a great Today Is The Day album, full of memorable moments. Highly recommended!

 

The BC page. 

 

Wiggavisceration - Sinista Slam (2025)

Read the album name, look at the cover art? You probably guessed what the music could be. This cover art is ugly and vulgar (I suppose it's deliberate), but totally succeeds in illustrating the music. Yes, the concept here is combining slamming death metal with some hip-hop elements. Sophistication would have been misleading, indeed. Now let's get to the most important point : is the music good? Yes it is, hip-hop and slam definitely mix well since both are all about the groove, and Wiggavisceration are great at doing that, both the death metal and hip-hop parts (death metal being the prevalent part) are mastered and Sinista Slam is a nice and catchy album. Vulgar, yes, but really enjoyable nevertheless (and, let's admit it, also because of it!).

 

The BC page. 

 

Intensive Care and The Body - Was I good Enough? (2025)

Two major forces in the industrial/noise metal scene, Intensive Care (Andrew Nolan) and The Body are used to releasing collaborative albums, so this one, called Was I good Enough? was bound to happen. The result isn't really surprising either. The good thing is that the quality is as high as expected. I just regret it lacks maybe a dose of craziness/unpredictability to make it really stand out among both band discographies. That been said, they've done another excellent album and I enjoy listening to it, as will anyone into dark industrial sounds.

 

The Body BC page. 

Intensive Care/Andrew Nolan BC page. 

 

Rwake - The Return of Magik (2025)

The Return of Magik is the Fifth Rwake album, and we could also say it's a magical return, since Fourteen years after their previous album Rawke are back with their best one, a masterpiece in southern progressive doom (with some aggressive sludge vocals). I love the atmosphere they manage to create with these songs. Their music, somewhere between Crowbar, Mastodon and Neurosis combines nicely heaviness, epicness and melodic subtleties (including the use of acoustic and pedal steel guitars). Warmly recommended!

 

The BC page.

 

Rise of The Northstar - Chapter 4 : Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! (2025)

As you can guess, Chapter 4 : Red Falcon Super Battle! Neo Paris War!! is the fourth album from the most ambitious French hardcore band, Rise of The Northstar. Is the music backing the attitude? I think it is, this fourth one is another convincing one, maybe not better than the two previous ones, but adding some more diversity to a music already very "crossover", mostly reminding Biohazard, with its mix of old school hardcore, metallic hardcore, nu-metal, hip-hop, and for ROTN a bit of deathcore and now some bits of melodic hardcore as well. Cool stuff!