THE VICTORIES
'The Victories'

This Alternative / Indie Rock trio from Brentwood, Essex certainly know how to play their chosen choice of music, whilst it's clearly a genre that floats around here and there, The Victories do well to keep it in check. Their six-track self-titled release does them well; if only the recording was a little more clearer, having said that the vocals are fine, the guitars and drums need more clarity though. However with best comparisons rising with early 'The Horrors' and Kasabian, The Victories are a decent rock band without any doubt, but with some tweaking, they could make it sound better.

[6] RHYS STEVENSON

LILYGUN
'Lilygun'
ZEFF MUSIC

Billed to be the next big rock act coming from the streets of London, this is Lilygun with their sensational debut album 'Lilygun'. Playing straight-edge rock with enough attitude to rock anyone's socks, the female-fronted quartet explode with the sounds of Alice In Chains, The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins in tow, there is no reason to why this band should not make and break the barriers and perhaps land themselves on national radio. With this valiant effort, we could very see them becoming a potential household name at festivals like Download, it's just a matter of time and you will never waste any time in checking this lot out, this is going to be big.

[9.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ASHESTOANGELS
'Wintervention / To Ruining'

Stepping back in time to around 2008 and it is clear to see why Ashestoangels are rising rapidly, collecting the original essences of the Gothic Rock posterior of yesteryear and including a Punk Rock aesthetic to the affray, making their single 'Wintervention' and their EP 'To Ruining' clear examples of Gothic Rock-revival. Hailing from Bristol, the quintet strip out the guidelines and re-write the rulebook, with influences taken in from bands like V For Violence, The Clash and (early - The Rasmus), Ashestoangels are not stopping and are sure to make themselves known across the country as the band who brought the Goth to the frontrunner.

[7] & [8] RHYS STEVENSON

THE CANDY RUNTS
'Scanty Thunder'

Rock 'N' Roll has come back to haunt the mass-infested sounds of the 'core' genres, with Essex / London sextet The Candy Runts unleashing their unique brand of Hard Rock hell via their EP 'Scanty Thunder', this is the new sound preparing to assault the British music scene. Taking clear influences from the likes of rock legends The Darkness and Whitesnake to modern metallers Steel Panther. 'Scanty Thunder' features four tracks of electric-rock at its finest and is sure to please many fans of the classics as well as those who love their rock like they love their beer. With riffs being shed out at maniac speeds and atmospheric keys delivering a solid wall of sound, whilst the drums provide a gallant and adventurous sound and the vocals bring the no-bullsh*t style of classic rock, there is nothing to stop these laddies from making themselves known.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

ARMONIGHT
'Tales From The Heart'

Them Italians, they love their Gothic music, well after all along with the Spanish and the French, they belong in the Romance language family, bit of a witty hint there, but taking into account Armonight, a Vicenza-based sextet and then take a look at their latest offering 'Tales From The Heart' and you then begin to realise that there is much more going on than just dark love, this is a band who mix Gothic music with lush melodies and heavenly vocals and they do it spot on right. Alongside fellow countrymen like Lacuna Coil, Macbeth, Domina Noctis, Theatres des Vampires and Amantyde, Armonight are welcomed into the family and are sure, with 'Tales From The Heart' now unleashed, to take on the world by storm.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

COLD DESIGN
'Summer will soon be here'
SHADOWPLAY

Lets be honest, when you put Russian Industrial Electronic Goth music into the limelight, it generally turns out to be sensationally awesome, so when the two-person project Cold Design emerge with their latest offering 'Summer will soon be here', the Voronezh based band captivate the listener and entrance them in military-style bitter cold music and warp them to the eastern front. Playing traditional electro-industrial beats and fusing them with the lustre of Russian gothic music, Cold Design revive the NIN sounds of yesteryear with their unique combination and yet top it off with the lyrics being entirely in Russian. 'Summer will soon be here' is a reality check, the Russian alternative scene is far from dead; this album is for fans of NIN and [T.3.R].

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

SUCH STRANGE ARTS
'Our Time Is Now'

Fans of Sum41 will go blinded if they fail to spot this Essex quartet emerging from the gutters of the Rayleigh suburbs, Such Strange Arts play your no-nonsense Pop Punk, loaded with beats that will make your grandma get up and groove and so much originality, they couldn't do it any better. Upon hearing their long-awaited debut EP 'Our Time Is Now', this is the sort of material that should get Kerrang! sniffing at, from the rebellious hardcore punk 'Our Time Is Now' track to the Sum41 infused 'Been Here Before', there is something for everyone, right from the first riff to the last drumbeat, Such Strange Arts have made it clear, that their time is now.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

CHOMP CHOMP ATTACK!
'How Do You Like Me Now'

If you take a pinch of Black Veil Brides imagery, mix it with Rise Against and add that Screamo tint to it, what you end up with is a Canadian quintet bursting with brilliance and utmost complex musicianship as proven on their debut EP 'How Do You Like Me Now', since 2010 the machine known as Chomp Chomp Attack! has been revving up for this release and it now explodes with what can be perceived as the greatest Post-Hardcore/Screamo music coming out of the Canadian borders. Laced with melodic and grizzly vocals, blitz-style drumming and chunky riffs, this is the armageddon waiting to storm the globe, clad in black and leather, armed with an EP fit for a leviathan and visions set on smashing the international scene, the question riding on everyone's lips post-apocalypse is 'How Do You Like Me Now?'

[9/10] RHYS STEVENSON

COLD BLACK
'From Scratch'

From time to time there will always be a band that takes a myriad of influences, that dubbing them one simple genre is not an option, such a band is Cold Black from Denmark. The Hard Rock / Heavy Metalcore quartet awaken the streets of Copenhagen with their lively and hard-hitting EP 'From Scratch', featuring a classic Motley Crue rock sound, Black Veil Brides vocal sound and Metalcore in the style of Asking Alexandria, Cold Black are Denmark's next biggest export, of whom should storm Europe with 'From Scratch' in tow. Lightning riffs, thunderous drumming and rip-tide vocals smother the listener in a wall of sound so delightful, chocolate cakes are now considered bygone products.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

AMY CAN FLYY
'The Start'
HORSEPOWER

The forthcoming EP 'The Start' from Bournemouth Pop Punk / Pop Rockers Amy Can Flyy is a beautifully sculptured piece of music, joining together anthemic sounds with the underbelly of the funk feeling experience on 'Mr Bones' and the rock out tune 'You Can't Stop Us Now', this is an EP worthy of being in anyone's collection. Pop Punk itself has seen a resurgence over the last few years and it's here to stay, with 'The Start' now firmly set for a release date of October 15th and much more anticipation circulating the future debut album when it drops, fans of All Time Low will dig this EP so much, it will become like a wildfire, spreading across the British rock scene and as it gathers fan momentum, it will become 'The Start' of Amy Can Flyy's adventure.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

TU AMORE
'Your Love'

Tu Amore is one of those easy-listening alternative rock bands that have the rock in the heart and their soul in the rock they play, so when the Peterborough quartet mesh together their forthcoming EP 'Your Love', they take pinches of different rock styles from here and there, expect to hear the likes of pop rock, alternative rock, soul rock and punk rock to roam around the seven tracks enlisted on this groundbreaking release, making an appearance on the Tu Amore's song 'Speranza' is Mikey Chapman (lead vocalist of Mallory Knox) and with that in the mix, 'Your Love' is the subliminal sound that will setup the band to storm the UK music scene, Tu Amore ('Your Love') are the new kids on the block.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

LADY GAGA
'Born This Way'
INTERSCOPE

Following the highly acclaimed debut album of electropop sensation Lady Gaga, the sophomore attempt was to be a hard one to accomplish, or was it? Following 'The Fame' came the American-Italian's 'Born This Way' with a more technical approach the electronic music initiated on the first album and even so with the slight hint of Heavy Metal influences; the latter becoming a shocker to the music industry, but then who says opposites don’t attract? 'Born This Way' brings out the Lady Gaga sound, an upbeat face-puncher of dance music with synthrock and sensual sounds to unleash the belter on the dance floor, lets face it people may find her with a wardrobe malfunction, but don’t judge the book by its cover, Lady Gaga is bringing the best of pop to life, considering most mainstream music is all the same, Lady Gaga makes the sound emerge right.

[8.5] RHYS STEVENSON

THE HORRORS
'Skying'
XL RECORDINGS

Maybe the sounds of Southend's music scene have undermined the rock etiquette and persona established by The Horrors. The quintet started off with the sound of Gothic Rock/Shoegaze but have now edged to a more space-rock/post punk sound with their third full-length album 'Skying'; naturally not sounding remotely similar to Muse but spot on with a comeuppance of synth-infused rock and catchy beats to entrance all who listens into sensual and phantasmagoria euphoria. 'Skying' without a doubt has the complete emphasis of the music shift riding on it and whilst the overall tone of the release is fruitful and delinquent, The Horrors themselves will always be remember for the Gothic look.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

VERSES
'No World For Us'

Versatility, imagination and a sense for making the bizarre the obscure and bringing out the best of the missing pieces of British rock, such is a statement in reference to Brighton boys Verses and their latest release 'No World For Us', the EP carries four anthemic rock tracks, powerful enough to keep a thousand generators running the UK's electricity supply. Sounding in the same sort of style as Muse but definitely closer to 30 Seconds To Mars, nonetheless Verses have a clarified sound with as much excitement as a derby in football. Verses bring the best in rock sound, a bandmember apparently looking like 'David Tennant (Dr.Who)' and enough fists to raise an army from anything.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

WE WERE LIONS
'Rebirth'

From first impressions conceived, this is an EP worth counting for as a new step in rock music, lashing together a mix of Power Pop with Hardcore as heavy as a two ton breakdown. We Were Lions came from the ashes of Faint Young Sun, a Wickford-based Pop/Hardcore band with enough power to blast peoples clothes off. Now with a new moniker and a new path for sound, the quintet from Essex are working their way to change the course of music, with their debut EP in tow and four tracks making it up, there is no reason why the Essex music scene wont receive a 'rebirth' from this boyband. Highlight songs include 'backseat' with its groove-laden breakdown from 1:37 to 2:17; such an imageable sound coalescing from the intricacy of this song, but even 'silver medal' delivers justice.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

ERILAZ
'First Of The Vortices'

Coming from the eerie darkness of the Helsinki suburbs is Finnish industrial/EBM project Erilaz. 2012 marks the coming of the debut EP from this project, 'First Of The Vortices' takes into its production the very sensual embodiment of EBM and logistically adapts it to make it more commendable. With influences from Eisenfunk taken aboard and industrial music implemented in the way the Finnish go about doing it, there is no reason to stop this project from breaking more barriers down. Those who enjoy fast electronic music mixed with a soul-soothing pace, this is the release for you.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

ANGELSPIT
'Hello My Name Is'
METROPOLIS

Australia's Cyber Punk / Electro Industrialists Angelspit come back with their fourth synthetic production and call it 'Hello My Name Is', this is an album full of raving, techno-breakdowns and sensational beats, taking the definition of cybergoth to a new level and inducing a coma of megawatt level. 'Hello My Name Is' brings the best of underground rave and excites it by installing a better hard drive for cutting edge electronic music. For the Australian duo, this is perhaps their best album of their career and as of yet is sure to make appearances across alternative clubs across the globe. The album 'Hello My Name Is' will appeal to those fans of Ayria, Black Light Discipline and Despair.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

_ MIDGAR
'Lead Your Children To The Sky'
ROCKET TOWN

English Progressive Alternative Rockers Midgar unleashed their mini-debut album in 2010 to rapturous reviews, none the less this is a great debut in the sound of Tokio Hotel-cross-Maroon 5 style music. The London quartet set themselves on the path of devising a spectacular return and with this release under their belt, their next effort will almost be certainly an enjoyable one, with a charged-atmosphere of calmness and soul-soothing tunes to engulf the listener with, 'Lead Your Children To The Sky' will not shy away from being dubbed 'prog rock revitalised and rejuvenated'.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

THE KARMA HEART
'Throw Your Light'

Combining the delightful influences of Paramore and Foo Fighters is the North Eastern rock band The Karma Heart who on their debut album 'Throw Your Light' do not fail to impress, with a beautiful level of singing to provide the intricate background music with an electric personality, this is one record that is sure to get them noticed. In rock terms, they are more punk than pop, but have pop elements here and there, but are not emo unlike Paramore. It is to be said that this release is one for those parties and can surely ignite a night in pure glory, so whilst its time to 'Throw Your Light', The Karma Heart are what the English rock scene has been missing.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON

THE CONFLITTO
'Dusk Over The Nations'
WORMHOLE DEATH

The debut album for Italian Post-Hardcore / Screamo quartet The Conflitto is such a heavy and brutal one, sounding similar to that of Rise Against colliding with Screamo act These Hearts, the boys from La Spezia give it all full throttle with the music and vocals, prepare to be shredded apart by the sheer force exuberated on 'Dusk Over The Nations', volaitile vocals backed by some of most nasty drumming and outrageous riffs from the Italian music scene. 'Dusk Over The Nations' is for those fans of Enter Shikari, Rise Against and These Hearts, The Conflitto could prove dangerous sometime soon.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

ESKIMADA
'Eskimada'

Eskimada released their self-titled album 'Eskimada' last year in 2011, the Italian Alternative Metal / Rock quintet deliver solid music but the vocals are a little to be desired, in fact it ruins the album in its entirety. Whilst they sing in English, they do not achieve captivation in most areas and thus leave the listener questioning what they are playing. This is nothing like Evanescence nor like System of a Down, in fact its hardly really anything, just plain music. The fact comparisons are hard to draw up says it all, but for those who like obscure music, 'Eskimada' is one for you.

[5.5] RHYS STEVENSON

THE BUNNY THE BEAR
'If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say'
VICTORY

Sounding something out of Disney or Epcot, Electro-Hardcore experimentalists The Bunny The Bear return with their sophomore album 'If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say' released this year, now whilst the electronic music can be compared to Enter Shikari and general synthesizer music, the vocals and instruments take in early Bring Me The Horirzon, so effectively making Electro-Hardcore/Deathcore, or for tongue-in-cheek purposes 'animalcore'. Essentially this has a party feel to it, even if it is too brutal for your average party, who cares, this is a band breaking the mold and making a unique sound, something Victory Records detects bands that are unique. An essential for any heavy music fan, regardless of any preferable bands, no animals were hurt in the making of this album or review.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

ANGELSPIT
'Carbon Beauty'
METROPOLIS

Re-mixer of Angelspit, well essentially the third remix album under the Australian electro-industrial project Angelspit has come to light, with more trance-laden, body-moving and Cybergoth beats to lighten any party up, whilst the remix album essentially being covered by many remix specialists and the basis being Angelspit's third full length album 'Hideous & Perfect', the collaboration is one of spine-tingling and brain-shocking music, powerful enough to send any general rave into absolute chaotic party time, an essential release for any alternative music club, Angelspit is a work of 'Carbon Beauty'.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

EVARANE
'The Fears / Here's To Hoping'
SOLID MUSICAL ACT

Sounding their way through the Essex music scene is Southend sextet Evarane with their techno-infused pop rock blasters, whilst sounding straddled between Paramore, Madina Lake and the sort of soft rock that should be aired on BBC Radio 1, Evarane are one of those bands that no matter how long you've been replaying their music, it never gets boring. Weaving a mystical style of synth music, not as heavy as Enter Shikari or Silent Descent, but enough to create a fourth dimension of being relaxed and having a chill out, with heavenly vocals giving their music a powerful drive and being supported by a matrix of intricate musical compositions, Evarane are set to become a favourite for Kerrang! magazine, this is just the beginning for the Southend crew, watch out Hayley Williams, England is about to rebel.

[9] RHYS STEVENSON

FAKE THE ATTACK
'November / Feathers / The Line'

Hailing from sunny Hampshire is Alternative Pop Rockers Fake The Attack with their three song sampler CD, featuring their tracks 'November', 'Feathers' and 'The Line'. Bringing together a radio friendly sound to the affray, the quintet take an easy listening approach and add some Paramore to the chaos experienced on the CD. 'November' hits with a v8 engine sound on the drums whilst the harmonics rest in the juicy riffs and lovable vocals. 'Feathers' is a little slower on the beat but it still retains a party feel experienced on 'November', whether this band have little Mindless Self Indulgence influences remains unclear but one thing is for certain, they are due to be noticed nationwide. Finally they close on a post-punk feel in the song 'The Line', but throughout keeping the riffs tight, drumming percussive and vocals as soul soothing as the ocean waves gracefully kissing the sandy beaches of Hampshire. Fake The Attack is due to be detected by BBC Radio 2, if not BBC Radio Solent.

[10] RHYS STEVENSON

M!R!M
“Enjoy Your Sorrow”

At first glance "Enjoy Your Sorrow" looks like an album by a person undergoing art therapy and not to be taken seriously due to the irrelevant, poorly drawn doodles on the cover. To begin with, the Post-Punk rockers prove this point right with monotonous drum beats and riffs throughout the first 4 tracks. The competing music elements drown out the vocals which are already far too over-distorted. However, when you reach 'Dew', a whole new opinion comes into play. The vocals are echoic and still distorted, but in a much more professional way as opposed to the over-distortion mentioned before. 'Dew' is the best song on the album, but is ruined by its predecessors. If only M!R!M could produce an album consisting of similar tracks, then they’d be on to a winner.

[4.5] EVILYN BRAUN

CONCISE / FLAQUE
'ingénue'
WYCOMBE MUSIC

Austrian electropop connoisseurs Concise duel up with German Intelligent Dance Music project Flaque to carve a hole in the night for some truly electronic beats, enough to pulsate through every human muscle to crave the ability to dance in its entirety, so whilst Concise delivers the soft and slow dance music, Flaque implements a ambient touch to the music, whipping away the fusion of dance and electronic music and replacing it with a far more difficult beat to conquer, but whilst the dual release is electronically apt, it holds a soul-soothing ability, an essential CD for any electronic music fan.

[7.5] + [7] RHYS STEVENSON

GRINSPOON
'Six To Midnight'
UNIVERSAL MUSIC

Veteran Aussie Post-Grungers Grinspoon saw their sixth album 'Six To Midnight' take flight in 2009, whilst the genre Post-Grunge is a little on the wane, Grinspoon do their best to keep it in check, with some real get-up-and-go tracks and a vision of making even the most despairing days all the better, so it's better to be 'Six To Midnight' than lost the six minutes lost for every album the band released, with a diamond load of riffs and funky drumming, this is Guns N Roses in their afterlife.

[7.5] RHYS STEVENSON

NEW YORK DOLLS
'Dancing Backward In High Heels'
429 RECORDS

Masters of American Hard Rock, New York Dolls return with their fifth album 'Dancing Backward In High Heels' over their forty year career (though in 1976 split-up, only to reform in 2004), chock full of classic tunes and the real prosperity of old-age cliché’s being implemented, this release has a special charm to it, one that will tease and excite anyone's ears, sounding similar to Van Halen and Aerosmith, this is classic rock at it's finest, a real diamond in Rock music history, one that will live forever in existence.

[7] RHYS STEVENSON

THESE HEARTS
'Forever Ended Yesterday'
VICTORY RECORDS

Screamo / Popcore American mob These Hearts unleash havoc with their debut album 'Forever Ended Yesterday', with more screaming than Metalcore bands this is the hard s***. Whilst sounding pop-like in the vein of Paramore and screamo like nothing before, the quintet from North Dakota combine soft with hard to create a dynamic product of pure party and audio-pain-laden tracks, this is sure to be one of those albums that would appear at any festival like Leeds or Reading, these guys aren't your average screamo emo guys.

[8] RHYS STEVENSON