Babe Roots - Through We (EP 2021)

Did not review this EP at the time (2021) because it's just three tracks plus an alternate version one, and I hoped an album was coming soon. Unfortunately, this Through We EP is still Babe Roots latest release. I really hope it's not the last. Along with the Kevin Martin (The Bug) stuff (but in a vein less dark & indus) it's my favourite recent dub related artist. Deep & immersive digital / tech dub, with always excellent choices of vocalists. Recommended!

Soundcloud stream.

 

LWSTNDRS - Songs of Atrocity (2024)

Intended to review LWSTNDRS previous release for a long time (been released in 2019...), but now that have a new one released by Nerve Altar, so here we go. The new album Songs of Atrocity feels a bit more polished, more in a blackened hardcore vein, even if the grind noise elements are still in the background. Good stuff.

The BC page.

 

 

Algiers - Shook (2023)

Shook, released last year, is Algiers' fourth album. They still deliver some kind of soul infused post-punk but they brought many people to collaborate with them (Zach de la Rocha, Backxwash, billy woods, Mark Cisneros, Patrick Shiroishi, among others) and as could be expected Shook is the most versatile album they have done, gaining in diversity what it loses in cohesiveness. The many hip-hop and spoken words elements give the album a kind of ambient / soundtrack feel. But describing it is a bit pointless, you have to experience it. I really recommend you do (and check their previous albums as well!).

The Bandcamp page.

 

Judas Priest - Invincible Shield (2024)

I'll assume you know who Judas Priest are. But maybe you don't know they recently released a truly glorious album, Invincible Shield. It features everything the Priest have done, from more progressive to more aggressive, and it's an hour of Judas Priest greatness from beginning to end. And, believe it or not, Rob Halford at 73 is still as awesome as he always have been.

Candy - It's Inside You (2024)

Candy is a kind of new mutation of hardcore, and it keeps evolving. In their new album It's Inside You, beatdown is still the main component, but the Full of Hell style blackened & noisy hardcore nearly disappeared, and the nu-metal element is getting more prominent, including Slipknot style cuts & jungle breaks samples and some melodic chorus. The result is more straightforward and mainstream, but no less effective and satisfying. Most purists will probably stay away from it, but some might enjoy it as a kind of "guilty pleasure".

The BC page.

 

Toadliquor - Back in the Hole (2024)

With Back in the Hole I understand now why I knew Toadliquor by name even if they've been silent for more than 25 years. Will have to check their old stuff. For now, Back in the Hole is an excellent piece of doom sludge, with parts in a traditional sabbathian vein, and parts more raw and dirty. In any case, excellent riffs and songs.

The BC page.