Showing posts with label Earsplit PR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Earsplit PR. Show all posts

Friday, 10 July 2026

Yeti On Horseback - Traditional Addictions (Album Review)

Release Date: July 24th 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Traditional Addictions - Tracklist

1. Drug Addict

2. Mariner’s Lament

3. Through With This Flesh

4. Erotic Goth Dad


Members


S.M. – bass, vocals

E.T.  – drums

S.S.  – vocals,soundscapes

R.P.  –  vocals, guitar

M.S. – lead guitar


Review


Doom Metallers Yeti On Horseback made a massive impression within the Doom Metal community with their 2016 debut album The Great Dying. The band created an epic style of slow-to-mid paced grooves with some brutally slow played vocals to match. Yeti On Horseback revelled in the human misery they projected onto the listener across epic tracks that were filled with low and slow pulsating rhythms. Truth be told, I thought the band split up ages ago but fast forward ten years later and they return with their overdue second album Traditional Addictions.


There’s nothing traditional about this album with Yeti On Horseback creating a massive wall of noise that’s buried under a ton of distorted filth that stretches the boundaries of Doom, Drone, Psych, Sludge and Stoner Metal with a highly precise and destructive energy that takes no prisoners. Taking on the likes of SLEEP, YOB, INDIAN, THOU, ELECTRIC WIZARD and even THE MELVINS but adding their own grim mentality into the mix with sudden outbursts of Psychedelic violence allowing a distinctive warped Spaced Out theme to emerge from the musical catacombs. 


Opening track Drug Addict lives up to the title with the band playing to their musical strengths by playing long drawn Drone/Doom passages with the harsh vocals of S.M. S.S. and R.P. all vying for full control of the band. This is a gloriously nightmarish battle with the rest of the band providing epic cinematic Drone/Doom landscapes to punish the listener with. The AMPLIFIERS are fully maxed out with Yeti On Horseback employing a wicked style of riff-centric sounds which still keep within the slow-to-mid paced guidelines they’ve perfectly constructed for themselves.


Second track Mariner’s Lament is another epic track with Yeti On Horseback moving further into the Drone Metal darkness with a pitch-black psychedelic sound coming from the shadows. There’s also a brooding Ambient Post-Rock vibe that has an ice cold Post-Doom atmosphere with the music being cautiously slow. Everything moves within reason with the band only adding layers of true heaviness when the time fully allows this. Things do become more brutal when the sludgy guitars fully take control and the harsh vocals deliver that feel quite hard to understand at times. Though, that could be my advancing years finally catching up with me. This is another massive slice of Drone/Doom Metal that Yeti On Horseback are absolute masters of making.


The other two tracks of Through With The Flesh and Erotic Goth Dad continue with the violent and down-tuned Doom/Sludge delivery with even more amplified sonic trickery being used especially on the amazing Erotic Goth Dad which is my favourite track on the album. The band even managed to find time to explore some areas of Classic Heavy Metal along the way with some fantastic guitar solos being played. Though, the most terrifying fun is when they adapt their music into elements of modern Post-Stoner and Post-Doom melodies which gives a sudden emotional energy to the whole album.


The level of Prog Metal is wonderfully surreal that allows Yeti On Horseback to be quite creative with the whole message of Traditional Addictions. The whole journey the album takes the listener upon is absolutely mind-blowing which takes you through almost every great stage of the Drone/Doom Metal scene. If you like your Drone/Doom Metal with a vicious sound but one that flirts with pure sonic bliss and psychedelic energy then Traditional Addictions is that record.


This is an absolute BEAST of a record with Yeti On Horseback delivering one of the most original and brutally honest records you’ll hear this year.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.


Traditional Addictions is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl.


Links 


Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram


Saturday, 4 July 2026

IRATA - Human (Album Review)

Release Date: July 10th 2026. Record Label: Small Stone Records Co. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Human - Tracklist

1.Altar

2.Confessions

3.Seeds

4.Delirium

5.Mirrors

6.Slipped

7.Goodside

8.Daystar


Members


Jason Ward: drums, keys, vox

Jon Case: bass, vox

Owen Burd: vox, guitar, keys


Review


Sludge/Stoner Metallers IRATA return with their emotionally charged fourth album Human which sees the band offer their most melodic record to date. IRATA uses a greater musical creative palette for this record with areas of Grunge, Shoegaze, Prog Metal and Cinematic based storytelling being added. With a mind-expanding use of sludgy psychedelics giving Human a cautionary sound which sees IRATA experiment with their music even further and even applying gloomy modern Doom-Pop hooks.

IRATA draws upon the likes of HUM, TORCHE, FLOOR, KYLESA and TOOL with influences appearing from other areas of the Nineties Alt-Rock scene which has become a constant staple of the band’s music whilst still sounding remarkably just like IRATA. The record may take a few listens to take everything in compared to their 2019 effort Tower and that’s down to IRATA’s great use of Progressive melodies and switching into heavier distorted sounds which gives a frenzied and grounded approach to their music.

The sound constantly switches between harsh environments and lush sounding Sludge Rock grooves with a heavy support of distorted Progressive atmospherics. IRATA depends more heavily on keyboards for this album which gives way to some of the best trippy and spaced out elements that IRATA have created to date. I still find it hard to believe or accept that IRATA have been going as a band for nearly two decades and this is their only fourth full length album. They always find the best time to return and this record does feel like a cause for celebration at times and despite the bleak subject matter the record contains you can’t help but feel the gloriously euphoric jams when they appear that leave you in a highly peaceful meditative state.

The first half of the album sees IRATA within their “business as usual “ phase by playing fast-paced and highly psychedelic grunge sounds which made their last two records personal favourites of mine. The music is constantly heavy with areas of distorted fuzz and grunge that’s played against a wall of destructive moments of Psych, Sludge and Stoner Metal with a developing sense of Shoegaze and Alt-Rock developing that turns into something heavier in the later stages of the record. 

The vocals from Jason, Jon and Owen are universally excellent throughout with shades of The Smashing Pumpkins, FLOOR, TORCHE and HUM appearing highly confident but with their own great style being superbly delivered. 

My favourite tracks on the first half of the album are: Altar, Seeds and Delirium as they bridge the gap to the classic sounds of IRATA but also allowing them to develop a new found sense of creativity especially when the music is stripped back and a forceful Progressive Sludge energy appears. Human becomes more evolving but offering moments of wonderful sing-along moments which you ultimately lose yourself in once more. 

The lyrics are super-fresh that taps into the Nineties nostalgia scene perfectly but adding that subtle modern day vibe that adds a level of darkness when you least expect it. Things change quite dramatically within the second half of the record as IRATA switches musical directions with a firmer grasp of Prog Rock/Metal with swirling TOOL-esque compositions being heard with IRATA putting their own great take of modern DOOM-POP into the mix.

IRATA always seem to be thinking five steps ahead when delivering the heaviest and sludgiest sounds on this part of the album with tracks Mirrors, Slipped and Daystar bringing a more focused and cerebral style of music which retains that classic IRATA energy. The record manages to convey that classic IRATA sound with outbursts of bleak sounding Sludge/Stoner Metal with melodic Psychedelic grooves being delivered from the highest point of MOUNT AMPLIFIED DISTORTION.

IRATA ends the record in the most perfect and complete way. You feel highly satisfied by the whole experience as Human actually feels like a record that has a beginning, middle and end. The musical performances from Jason, Jon and Owen are first rate, which is perhaps their best recorded musical performance to date. The production values are of the chart with Human being expertly produced with some eye-catching aggressive sounds being played from the speakers throughout.

Human is an outstanding album on all levels which IRATA should rightly be proud of. This is perhaps my favourite album from IRATA. It may not be as riff-centric as Tower but there’s a lot more progression and musical variety that allows the band to play some intense grooves we haven’t heard from them before which is perhaps the greatest thing you can take away from this record.

Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.


Human is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Small Stone Records Co.


Links 



Tuesday, 9 June 2026

Green Desert Water - Eerie Meadows (Album Review)

Release Date: June 19th 2026. Record Label: Small Stone Co Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Eerie Meadows - Tracklisting

1. Northern Lights - 6:08

2. The Blacksmith - 3:51

3. Eerie Meadows - 5:42

4. Woodcutter - 4:07

5. Holy Ground - 5:27

6. Wolfhound - 3:38

7. Bos Primigenius - 3:31

8. Meteora - 5:28


Members

 

Juan Arias García: bass guitar

Dani Barcena: drums and percussion

Kike Sanchís: guitars and vocals


Review


Heavy Psych Rockers Green Desert Water with Eerie Meadows which is their first album in five years. The band have a fresher and highly energetic sound compared to their last album Black Harvest which sees the band lean quite heavily into the Nineties Grunge and Stoner Rock scene without compromising their Seventies Heavy Rock vision. With flashes of KYUSS and PEARL JAM inspired melodies set against the classic rock scene, Green Desert Water add elements of Thin Lizzy, The Who, Cactus and Led Zepp into their music.


The vocals from Kike Sanchis are quite grounded, gritty and that’s held by a highly melodic approach. The songs are expertly paced throughout with the band not wasting a single second on flashy gimmicks of progressive themes which gives this album a true Hard Rock approach. There is a heavy Doom Rock essence that comes into play that fans of The Sword will truly appreciate especially on the outstanding title track of Eerie Meadows.


The song is quite gloomy with a deeply Doomed Out approach appearing within the music and Kike’s vocals being more Proto-Doom obsessed. However, before that great track, Green Desert Water open up with the opening tracks of Northern Lights and The Blacksmith sees Classic Hard Rock, Psych Rock and Stoner Rock grooves combining for a damn good time with superbly written musical structures and sublime lyrics making this one of the strongest openings to an album you can possibly experience.


Though, Eerie Meadows changes the creative landscape for the band as they lean quite heavily into the Doom Rock/Metal side of life which breathes a new level of heaviness for the album. The guitars are perfectly timed with the epic rhythm section having a fine ear for detail. Green Desert Water adds seedy levels of Fuzz, Psych and Grunge which develops into some of the most interesting sounds on the whole album.


From this moment on Green Desert Water are ON FIRE by developing their music even further into a sandstorm of fuzzy melodies, gritty vocals and extended musical passages with layers of Fuzz Rock allowing the band to put those AMPS all the way past ELEVEN. There seems to be a sense of trouble brewing behind the scenes as the album becomes ever more rebellious on tracks such as Woodcutter, Holy Ground, Wolfhound and Meteora.


Eerie Meadows lasts for around thirty seven minutes in length and even though I wish there was another song to push this past the forty minute mark, it’s still an action packed record full of superbly observed moments that allows Green Desert Water to establish themselves once more as one of the premier Power Trio’s the Stoner Rock scene currently has right now.


Production values are another highlight with Green Desert Water never sounding better and perhaps finding their true sound with an intense musical performance that’s their most mature record to date. 


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.


Eerie Meadows is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Small Stone Co Records.


Links 


Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram


Sunday, 17 May 2026

Burial Clouds - Burn Holy (Album Review)

Release Date: May 22nd 2026. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Burn Holy - Tracklisting

1. Burning The Olive Tree

2. Windflower

3. Ashen Altar

4. Negations

5. Be Not Afraid

6. Screaming, Drowning Pacified

7. Forget Me Not

8. Eyes Without Light


Members


Matt Mitchell – guitar

Flynn Hargreaves – bass

Marina Lavelle – vocals

Bryce Ramsey – guitar

Tim Iserman – drums


Review


Doom/Post-Metallers Burial Clouds have gone under some significant lineup changes since their acclaimed 2023 album Last Days Of A Dying World. Only founding members Matt Mitchell (Guitar) and Flynn Hargreaves (Bass) remain from the line-up from that album. Marina Lavelle takes over the position of lead vocalist that offers a start contrast to the last album.


Bryce Ramsay (Guitars) and Tim Iserman (Drums) have joined the band as well which sees the band operate with a more powerful and beautifully dynamic sound. Burial Clouds sophomore album Burn Holy still offers a similar tone to their last album but one that leans quite heavily into the areas of Shoegaze, Post-Rock and Alt Metal with delicate experimental touches dictating the quieter moments of the album.


Opening track Burning The Olive Tree captures a band demonstrating their newly found creative energy which transforms into levels of Doom, Post-Metal, Prog Metal and Atmospheric Sludge surroundings that can be quite folk obsessive especially within how the vocals are delivered at times. However, there’s a menacing and violent quality that appears within Marina’s vocals and the brutal onslaught of down-tuned instrumental sounds that can move into areas of Thrash Metal which was a welcome surprise especially within the excellent second track of Windflower.


Burial Clouds showed influences from the likes of YOB, Mastodon, Alice In Chains and Pallbearer on their last record which you can feel instantly here but there’s a sense of grounded Post-Doom and Gothic realism within this record. Marina’s vocals are beautiful, poetic, violent and even horrifying at times when she delivers brutal screams into the mix. Sometimes you feel that there are multiple vocalists performing on this record as they all have a different flow and identity to each other. So be prepared for some extreme vocals being added along this heavy monolithic journey.


Burial Clouds move into more disturbing levels of Extreme Metal which I’m fully on board for as the record still manages to convey a hugely original style of Post-Doom, Sludge and Post-Metal that makes you questioning your own sanity at times on tracks such as: Ashen Altar, Screaming, Drowning Pacified and Eyes Without Light. However there’s still moments of pure uplifting musical brilliance that feels like it’s coming from a different band but Burial Clouds continuously surprise for the better throughout the album.


The dual vocals are another highlight which showcases a wonderfully constructed “LIGHT vs DARK” aspect to the whole album with intense outbursts of thrash metal beats and sullen Post-Metal movements that leave a lasting impression on the listener. 


Even the production values are top-notch with Burning Clouds engineering, recording and mixing the album themselves. That was a masterful decision for the band to take. As it gives them more control over their own music and it feels like a more personal record compared to their debut album. The band was mastered by the legend that is Brad Boatright at the famed Audiosiege.


Burn Holy is a complex and brilliantly daring album that Burial Clouds should rightly be proud of and one that could establish them even further within the underground scene and beyond.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.


Burn Holy is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl.


Links 


Official | Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram


Thursday, 23 April 2026

Lair Of The Minotaur - I HAIL I (Album Review)

Release Date: May 01st 2026. Record Label: The Grind-House Records. Formats: DD

I HAIL I - Tracklisting

1.Emperor of Dis

2.I HAIL I 

3.Enthroned in Violence

4.Fucked Inside Out

5.Deepest Hell

6.Saturnus Reign

7.Prowler Twin Sister 

8.Family Tree

9.Vulture Worship

10.Tartarus Apocalypse


Members


Steven Rathbone - Guitar, Vocals, Synth

Chris Wozniak - Drums

Sanford Parker - Bass


Review


I-HAIL-I marks the triumphant return of Thrash/Sludge Metal heavyweights Lair Of The Minotaur with this being their first album in sixteen years and they’ve lost none of their fucked up aggression which was captured perfectly with their landmark 2010 album Evil Power. Nothing much has changed with how the band playing their classic trademark and pissed off HEAVY METAL sound. Lair Of The Minotaur have added metal legend Sanford Parker joining their ranks on bass. Sanford also recorded and mixed the album which you can tell from the very start after all the amazing albums and records he’s been involved with over the years.


This record is pure CARNAGE from start to finish with Lair Of The Minotaur perfecting their highly aggressive blend and fast paced Thrash and Sludge Metal which also adds strands of Grind, Doom, Psych, Punk and Speed Metal. The mood is quite nihilistic with a dark sludgy environment which is laid down with a dominating HARDCORE METALLIC ferocity which comes across brilliantly well on tracks such as Emperor Of Dis, I-HAIL-I and Enthroned In Violence.


There are some great influences which you can’t help but notice from bands such as MOTORHEAD, HIGH ON FIRE, SLAYER and METALLICA but Lair Of The Minotaur always manage to create their own menacing blend of extreme magic which relies heavily on the extreme side of heavy metal. The band love to GRIND, GRIND and GRIND some more on the whole album which results in some brilliantly heavy THRASH based madness with superb vocals to match.


I HAIL I only lasts around thirty minutes spread across ten great tracks with the majority of them only running under a few minutes or so. Lair Of The Minotaur comes flying out of the gate with this perhaps being their most direct, extreme, aggressive and riff-fuelled record to date.


The album thrives on perfecting it’s “PULL NO PUNCHES” and “TAKE NO PRISONERS” approach on other tracks such as Fucked Inside Out, Deepest Hell and Prowler Twin Sister. These tracks are the pure embodiment of Extreme Doom/Sludge Metal with Lair Of The Minotaur allowing themselves to move themselves closer to a more straightforward riff-driven style of music.


There’s even a great surprise with the band performing a cover of Alt Rock/Indie Rock artist Ethel Cain’s stunning track “Family Tree”. This is one of the best tracks on the album as it’s so left-field for Lair Of The Minotaur to choose to cover. Their version of the song is vastly different with the band keeping with the Doom, Sludge and Thrash Metal narrative of the whole album though it pays great respect to the original version which I recommend you comparing them against each other when you have the time. Lair Of The Minotaur does start showing a Post-Thrash and Post-Sludge environment within Family Tree and I would love to see them explore that style more often on future releases if possible.


The final track Tartarus Apocalypse is the longest track on the album running for almost eight minutes which allows the band to stretch their musical boundaries by adding a slight Progressive edge to their music. The sound is grounded, bombastic and even psychedelic charged at times with Lair Of The Minotaur exploring different creative avenues whilst bringing a thunderous and destructive appetite to the actual musical journey.


I HAIL I could be considered a "comeback" album for Lair Of The Minotaur and it’s a major success on every level. The record is extremely brutal and is never afraid to explore a more violent and extreme sound which the band have always delivered throughout their celebrated career. However, there’s more to discover with I HAIL I with Lair Of The Minotaur delivering an epic album that’s packed full of intense grooves and wicked melodies that could easily be classed as some of the best music of their entire career.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.


I HAIL I is available to buy now digitally via The Grind-House Records with physical formats being released at a later date.


Links 


BandCamp | Instagram


Tuesday, 24 March 2026

NEUROSIS - An Undying Love For A Burning World (Album Review)

Release Date: March 20th 2026. Record Label: Neurot Recordings. Formats: CD/DD/Tape/Vinyl.

An Undying Love For A Burning World - Tracklisting

1. We Are Torn Wide Open

2. Mirror Deep

3. First Red Rays

4. Blind

5. Seething and Scattered

6. Untethered

7. In the Waiting Hours

8. Last Light


Members


Jason Roeder – drums

Aaron Turner – guitar, vocals

Steve Von Till – guitar, vocals

Dave Edwardson – bass, vocals

Noah Landis – synths, samples, vocals


Review


Well, we never expected for Post-Metal legends NEUIROSIS to return with a new album especially after what went down with Scott Kelly in 2019. Most people (including myself) thought it was all over for one of the most important metal bands of the last forty years. Then the band arrived back with a new album with no fan fare or massive PR hype behind them just like how SLEEP did with The Sciences in 2018 and HUM with Inlet in 2020. However, there were more surprises with Aaron Turner (ISIS and SUMAC) joining forces with Neurosis on Guitar/Vocals. 


This made complete sense and there’s possibly nobody better than Aaron Turner who perhaps formed the “other” most important Post-Metal band of the last thirty years. His vocal and creative presence fits in brilliantly with the core line-up of NEUROSIS and brings a fresh musical perspective which makes An Dying Love For A Burning World perhaps their best album in over thirty years. This is a monumental release which sees NEUROSIS on absolute fire with powerful sounds emerging from the very start.


The vocal interplay between Aaron Turner, Steve Von Till, Dave Edwardson and Noah Landis is nothing short of brilliance with everyone given the time and space to inject their own personality into the record. It may have been quite daunting for Aaron Turner to appear alongside his musical heroes but this actually feels like an ISIS and SUMAC record in places which you have to give NEUROSIS full respect to for allowing them to open themselves to musical ideas.


However, this is still a NEUROSIS record through and through with the Sludge/Post-Metal elements having an aggressive ethereal sound with that classic apocalyptic and rustic energy which has appeared throughout the band’s career. There’s some foreshadowing movements into Ambient Rock, Post-Rock and Alt-Metal which is beautifully delicate through the great work laid down by Noah Landis. The album can be quite experimental along the way but it’s delivered with real purpose as the whole Psychedelic and Progressive structure for the majority of the songs moves into many different directions.


The first three tracks of We Are Torn Wide Open, Mirror Deep and First Red Rays allows NEUROSIS to develop the whole flow and mission statement of the record with harsh vocals, abrasive soundscapes and progressive grooves being grounded and wholly original. There are some beautiful vocal harmonies on First Red Rays which transported me back to my early days of Post-Metal whilst listening to the likes of OCEANIC and Through Silver In Blood.


An Undying Love For A Burning World is quite a bleak and sombre record with NEUROSIS once more touching upon some hard hitting themes whilst moving into other areas of heavy music on tracks such as Blind, Seething And Scattered, In The Waiting Hours and Last Light. The final two tracks of The Waiting Hours and Last Light offer around twenty seven minutes of music with NEUROSIS exploring areas of Doom, Industrial, Sludge, Post-Rock and Prog Metal like no other band can. I dare to say this might be some of the best music the band have written since their 1995 masterpiece Through Silver In Blood.


NEUROSIS prove time and time again why they’re not only the definite Post-Metal band around but also one of the most important Heavy Metal bands to emerge over the last forty five years. This album is a testament to that fact as An Undying Love For A Burning World could end becoming my favourite album of the year. It’s already blowing everyone’s minds right now and you can see why as this album is an absolute masterpiece.


What more can I say!!!


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Rarely Unable PR and Earsplit PR for the promo.


An Undying Love For A Burning World is available to buy now digitally with physical release arriving in May 2026.


Links

Wednesday, 4 March 2026

Radian - Subterfuge (Album Review)

Release Date: March 20th 2026. Record Label: El Burno Records, and Third House Communications. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Subterfuge - Tracklisting

1.Toothless Wolf 04:52

2.Spiraling Ash 04:48

3.Fathom 10:02

4.Ethereal Thirst 07:09

5.William 05:57

6.Subterfuge 04:58

7.Fluidity 02:56


Members


Corey Staley – vocals

Mike Burns – guitars

Carly Allman – bass

Derek Vaive – drums


Review


Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Radian are back with a vengeance with their outstanding new album Subterfuge. Radian sounds like a new band reborn with a revised lineup since their 2022 record Discordian. The next chapter of the band’s evolution sees the band inject more melody and aggression into their music whilst keeping that winning Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal sound that made their first two records such an absolute delight. The vocals from Corey Staley move between different heavy Progressive Metal themes with clean and harsh vocals combining for a stunning tour-de-force of modern day Sludge Metal.


The album itself is a concept album which you can read about below


Set in a reimagined, modern-day Egypt – one that never fell to Roman conquest – Subterfuge tells the story of a man willing to do whatever it takes to protect his home, his people, and his culture from a cabal of overlords bent on erasure for personal gain. While rooted in a reimagined history, the album is riddled with comparisons to contemporary society: exploitation, manufactured collapse, and rebellion in the face of systems designed to consume rather than sustain.”


There may be influence from the lies of MASTODON, HIGH ON FIRE and NEUROSIS behind that story but Radian makes this their own vivid level of storytelling by combining modern day themes that feel very relatable in today’s uncertain times. The music itself is a mixture of Psych, Ambient, Sludge, Doom, Stoner and Progressive grooves with a stunning sense of mysticism and grounded reality which also feels inspired by the likes of YOB and Shrinebuilder at times.


The record never waives from portraying some harsh realities with soulful lyrics when matched against the sludgy Prog Metal textures that’s layered with intense Psych Metal imagery especially on the tracks Toothless Wolf, Spiraling Ash and Fathom within the first half of the album.


Radian play a stunning style of pure full-on Sludge/Stoner Metal that moves into Post-Metal territory but they also show a new found maturity when playing a subdued Post-Doomed Out style that adds a calming Post-Rock influence on the epic third track Fathom which is my favourite track on the album.


As stated earlier, Radian has a new line-up altogether compared to their last record with only Mike Burns as the only original member left. This feels like a band reborn with each member injecting their own personality into Radian’s core identity and overall sound which mostly comes into full effect on tracks such as Fathom, Ethereal Thrust, William and Subterfuge.


These tracks allow the band to move into other musical domains such as Punk and Hard Rock which gives their music a richer, heavier and fuller sound whilst keeping their Progressive Sludge/Stoner Metal dynamics intact. 


Subterfuge is perhaps Radian’s standout record where they have delivered their first undeniable “classic” record and I’m a huge fan of what they’ve released with their previous two albums. Though on Subterfuge it feels like they’ve found the “WINNING” creative formula they can move forward and make a real name for themselves within the underground scene. When the music and story fully hits hard then there’s no stopping RADIAN expanding and defining their own musical legacy with intense music that will leave you breathless at times.


The production values are off the scale which isn’t surprising when you consider the talent behind the scenes who helped make this record. Subterfuge was recorded and engineered by Mike Burns and engineered the album, except for the bass which was recorded by Brian “BeZo” Zorich. Sanford Parker at Hypercube (Voivod, Darkthrone, YOB) mixed the album and mastering duties were handled by Collin Jordan at Boiler Room Mastering (Ministry, Eyehategod, Spirit Adrift). 


Subterfuge is a record that has it all. It’s an undeniably brilliant and thrilling sonic fuelled experience that leaves you wanting more and perhaps that little bit excited to see what the future holds for RADIAN. This is a genuine ALBUM OF THE YEAR contender. It's as simple as that!!!


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Earsplit PR for the promo.


Subterfuge is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via El Burno Records, and Third House Communications.


Links 


Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram