Epic, bonkers album. [3 Feb 2018, p.51]

Through the Wall plays more like a scrappy, occasionally impressive side project. [27 Oct 2018, p.55]

There’s little to link the various tracks on this eclectic collection, nothing to make it a coherent whole, but it certainly underlines the band’s extraordinary ability to shape-shift. Mastodon have changed over the years, but Medium Rarities proves they have always operated in a dimension that isn’t entirely earthbound

Fewer songs here race and pulsate as before, but Chuck Ragan and co.'s gruff mix of grit and sweat remains in full effect. [May 2012, p.54]

The Spark is very much a record for 2017. [16 Sep 2017, p.50]

It's this complete departure from the norm, this clean break from Greg Puciato's day job, that's the key to Fever Daydream's success. [30 Jan 2016, p.50]

Here, he's finally harnessed the fury coursing through his foundation, channeling and unleashing it with streamlined precision. [28 Jan 2017, p.48]

It's been as long time, but Do To The Beast finds The Afghan Whigs doing what they do, ahem, beast. [19 Apr 2014, p.54]

A very accomplished, multifaceted, genre-dodging outing. [8 Feb 2014, p.52]

An album that once again sees Wizard creating a new landscape with only the slightest adjustment. Yeah, it's more rock'n'roll, but it's still ultra-stoned, it's still ultra-heavy, and Electric Wizard still hate[s] you. [25 Nov 2017, p.51]

Freewheeling spirit and casual non-sequiturs are all over Almost Free, with a cornucopia of ‘anything goes’ creativity on offer, comprising flashes of hip-hop, glam rock, fuzzed-out funk, punk and everything in between. Yet not once does it sound contrived or anything but an album very much of the here and now. ... An absolute joy to behold. It’s a trip to listen to, and an instant modern classic.

IX isn't quite as boisterous as 2012's outstanding and raucous Lost Songs, but ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead's subtle power still impresses. [8 Nov 2014, p.55]

There’s all manner of the energetic offerings you’re yearning for here. But there are the slower soul-bearers too, in the same vein as the classic I’m With You, such as Avalanche, which will appeal to fans of what Olivia Rodrigo is doing.

It's hard not to get swept along by the torrent of farce and sheer loose-footed skill on show. [30 Jul 2011, p.52]

While For Baltimore proves they can still write a grade A banger when they put their mind to it, too many songs are destined to have "must try harder" stamped on their report card. [13 Oct 2012, p.52]

Photo Of Photos retains a gloriously untethered and instinctive quality, but is brought into sharper focus by the occasional moment of clarity. [20 Oct 2012, p.54]

It's easy-going, it's listenable, but it also sounds a bit, well, tired. [13 Apr 2013, p.59]

It's not wholly original, but there's plenty here to keep the (Gnar)wolf from the door. [20 Sep 2014, p.54]

For the most part, this is an awkward journey that sounds like no-one else. Try it but don't expect an easy ride. [9 Jan 2016, p.52]

Sure, the songs sound unique to SWS because of their singer's inimitable voice, but several of the tracks are reminiscent of other artists. [23 Sep 2017, p.50]

There’s still a lot that will be familiar to longtime fans, but the most impressive thing is how passionate Rise Against remain. Twenty years in, and their revolutionary fire is still as relevant and as sadly needed as ever.

This is Metallica galvanised, refreshed, refocused and rediscovering themselves. Best thing they've done since The Black album? Yep. [5 Nov 2016, p.48]

Should be regarded as perhaps their finest album yet. [14 Jan 2017, p.51]

Hydrograd is an altogether looser, more accessible creation. [24 Jun 24, 2017, p.50]

Danny's back where he belongs, and Asking Alexandria have returned with their boldest record yet. [2 Dec 2017, p.49]

As a big, glossy rock record that finds Bush aging both gracefully and garishly, The Art Of Survival is a success, even if it’s unlikely to win over any those who’ve remained immune to the band’s charms so far, and isn’t innovative enough to ensnare new listeners.

Ellipsis is the band's best album since Puzzle. [16 Jul 2016, p.50]

It won't be to all tastes, but those that care will cherish Simple Maths dearly. [7 May 2011, p.52]

They're suspended in an airy updraft of synths and clean guitar lines that are so '70s prog-rock they should be wearing a Rick Wakeman from Yes-styled cape. [27 Jun 2015, p.52]

Balancing an instinct for dancefloor-crushing industrial with gloomily lush soundscapes, Rat Wars suggests that even when HEALTH are at their most meticulously state-of-the-art, a fervent need to express honest emotion finds humanity overriding tech to emerge as the dominant element in their work.

Weather Systems is entirely devoid of death growls and contains only the barest hint of volume and aggression. What it does have is lush instrumentation and a sense of drama without the use of distortion. [28 Apr 2012, p.53]

This is how you do post-hardcore in 2013 without sounding like a relic. [23 Mar 2013, p.54]

This knowingly middle-aged iteration of Limp Bizkit is far more likeable and less obnoxious than their younger self. But even so, they’ve lost none of their Big Durst Energy, and the knowing winks have only become bigger and knowing-er.

Resurrection is a powerhouse of a record, the brave onward steps of New Found Glory proving that hope--like pop-punk--is not dead. [11 Oct 2014, p.52]

For all its spells when it's thick with vitality and feeling, it rarely breaks free of being anything more than a good record, never an exceptional one. [24 Sep 2016. p.50]

They sound more surefooted. [26 May 2012, p.52]

For Thrice fans, Horizons/East is another strident step forward from one of post-hardcore’s definitive outfits. For listeners at one of life’s soul-stretching crossroads, though, it could serve as so much more.

This is what Blue Pills do best, daring to imagine what it would have been like if Aretha Franklin fronted Deep Purple in a cosmic blur of crackling fuzz and feel-good soul. [20 Aug 2016, p.67]

It's the quirky structures and finely drawn lyrical observations that provide the real hooks here. [28 Jan 2012, p.53]

A compelling return from the godfather of goth-punk. [3 Jul 2010, p.51]

It's fast, It's slow, It's mature, without being boring; it rocks, even when it's doesn't. It's also one of the best albums of 2013, if not the best. [12 Oct 2013, p.50]

Welcome Oblivion confirms that the music world needs a band like How To Destroy Angels, too. [2 Mar 2013, p.50]

Sure, the band haven't exactly come up trumps on originality here, but at least they're delivered some huge songs. [25 May 2013, p.54]

Bed & Bugs is an erratic and abrasive effort that'll delight those who prefer their rock to wander without a map. [21 Sep 2013, p.54]

It's weighty and impressive in places, but without Pepper's howl it also sounds curiously incomplete. [3 Mar 2012, p.53]

Consistently, Watch It Die is easy listening. That’s a compliment, given the way that gnarly guitar lines and shouted vocals can intertwine with synth lines you’d expect from The Killers, such as the motoring thump of Between The Waves. It’s also a critique on the simplicity of some melodies.

A record which never really sags – an impressive feat for a mixtape of 17 songs, none of which are interludes – and instead engages the listener throughout, with a constant stream of fresh ideas thrown into the pot. When it comes to rock and hip-hop colliding, this is the sound of the future.

Each is very different, but they’re connected by a sense of the time and space they were crafted in. It’s a collection of postcards from the edge that we’ve all been walking and one that’s utterly engaging.

This is easily the best punk album of 2014. [8 Nov 2014, p.54]

This is a record that seethes with fury. [25 Jul 2015, p.50]

It's an important, thoughtful album that will serve to unite the grief-stricken with a new-found sense of purpose to find some form of healing. [9 Jun 2018, p.53]

They're the latest addition to an emerging new breed of post-hardcore acts that are deliberate, delicate, messy and aggressive all at once. [21 Dec 2013, p.70]

Great Divide is a tightly honed, 12-track collection. [16 Aug 2014, p.52]

They’re making bigger leaps than ever. Even their more familiar-sounding songs show signs of metamorphosis.

As they get older and wiser, when they focus their songwriting skills like they do on Saviors, they are as sharp, bright and essential as they’ve ever been. And they still know who they, and you, are.

It's prime Alice In Chains, and the work of a band still managing to hit new peaks of their powers. [25 Aug 2018, p.53]

Hardcore devotees can rest assured that Kreator have shed little of their original skin. [28 Jan 2017, p.52]

Jesse Hughes and Queens Of The Stone Age main man Josh Homme's capacity for throwing out sexy grooves has only improved with age. [3 Oct 2015, p.52]

This infusion of punk is quite some achievement given the album is divided into movements, yet in stripping back to a four-piece they strip away pretentiousness and inject rough-hewn power. [5 Feb 2011, p.51]

Millport is a welcome postcard from a busman's holiday taken by a fine songwriter. [11 Mar 2017, p.52]

In amongst their sleeker, poppier, but still hard-hitting grooves, they're not afraid to tackle big issues, either. [26 Jan 2013, p.55]

The album sounds like Liturgy tried to make a mathcore record, put two and two together and got three. [7 May 2011, p.52]

The Joy Formidable still roar. In fact, on Hitch, they sound more like themselves than ever before. [26 Mar 2016, p.52]

The fact that the real Black Sabbath are currently in the studio makes this fell more like a curtain-raiser than the real event. [10 Nov 2012, p.55]

Forming part of their 20th anniversary celebrations this year, this brilliant 18-track compilation may be missing some huge hits, but that's not to say that it doesn't hit home. Hard. [22 Jan 2011, p.51]

Silliness and fun are very much the order of the day here so, if you want some depth to your music you'll be found wanting. [23 Oct 2010, p.51]

The classy atmosphere of Hisingen Blues makes Graveyard sound timeless rather than retrogressive, and wholly relevant in 2011. [14 May 2011, p.51]

The result is one their most confident, consistent and cohesive record in 10 years. [11 Feb 2012, p.50]

For all the whiskey-soaked swagger on offer here, there's little to distinguish these tracks from one another. [16 Mar 2013, p.53]

It marks their perfection of the swooning pop stuff they've been churning out since 2006. [30 Mar 2013, p.54]

It's far from bad. Sadly, though, Everblack's also far from The Black Dahlia Murder at their best. [8 Jun 2013, p.54]

The Maine sound like a band who've finally found their happy place. [8 Jun 2013, p.54]

Accomplished but a little safe, perhaps, Palms is nevertheless an intriguing project worthy of a sequel. [22 Jun 2013, p.52]

Beyond the admittedly impressive riffing, the rest of what's on offer is perfunctory. [14 Dec 2013, p.60]

It makes for an impressive debut that sees Sleepwave unapologetically aiming for the sky. [27 Sep 2014, p.54]

This is a wholly disturbing listen. [6 Dec 2014, p.54]

While they haven't exactly stretched the boundaries of three chords, these Wyoming punks have crafted another 14 tracks of fearless fun here. [28 Mar 2015, p.54]

There's no pushing at the boundaries, but this nevertheless shows Silverstein can still turn some of the things they touch to gold. [16 May 2015, p.54]

All Downhill From Here should have been track two, not seven because [Figure Me Out] is unbeatable. ... Skip this one [Missin' You] if you're a fan of One Direction. Guys, guitars... use them. [2 Apr 2016, p.51]

Yes it gets samey, but in Hatebreed's hands predictability doesn't tend to mean boring. [30 Apr 2016, p.68]

It does meander in the middle, but mostly this is an admirable step in Katatonia's ongoing quest to keep their identity fresh. [18 Jun 2016, p.52]

Their seventh record might just be their most melodically expansive yet. [27 Aug 2016, p.52]

It's radiant, bold and frequently brilliant. [4 Nov 2017, p.53]

Erase Me is not a perfect record, but it is a solid statement from a band who believe they still gave unfinished business to attend to. [7 Apr 2018, p.53]

The results will mostly appeal to completists. [13 Jul 2019, p.73]

As good as Heavy Fire? Nope, but it's another superb shot of classic-spirited heavy rock from masters of their craft. [7 Sep 2019, p.55]

Throughout, DevilDriver are taut, tight and tenacious.

A composed and well-thought-out record, Life In Your Glass World doesn’t exactly shatter expectations, but what it does showcase is a talented band operating with a fully-fledged confidence and faith in their craft, and that’s more than fine by us.

BUMMER is an album where cleopatrick excel more than they struggle. Their sound could do with a little streamlining, but for a debut LP, this is a bold and at times very enjoyable effort.

There are no crashing power chords, OTT theatrics or questionable haircuts to worry about on All The Truth That I Can Tell. Just an open-hearted, increasingly middle-aged man, his acoustic guitar, and the same brand of chest-swelling songwriting many of us have known since we were young.

The Mandrake Project is a colossal idea carried out by an artist who revels in snowballing ideas and having to work hard to cram it all in. It’s the most Bruce Dickinson of all Bruce Dickinson’s solo works. It's also the best.

SELF HELL, is their most fearless. The 12-track collection mediates its electronic curveballs with the melodic metalcore mash-up that Sleeps have pioneered over their career, blended to masterful effect.

The Velveteers strut across many different dimensions, whether that’s through the means of dreamy ballads like the title-track, the cinematic, swaying Heaven or the hulking blues rock of Moonchild (with a sassy coda that demands that listeners get up and shimmy). It leaves a remarkable impression, so much so that even after a couple of plays, these songs feel like they’ve been in your life forever.

We’re left with something that isn’t Volbeat’s best album, but is a candidate for their most interesting.

This is a record that taps into punk rock’s restless spirit while giving it a sharp, modern lick.

It’s true that not every track here rises to equal heights, but few overstay their welcome.

They may not have subtlety in their arsenal but then again, with riffs this menacing, who needs it? [21 Jan 2012, p.52]

If you're expecting an album full of immediate anthems like Monkey Wrench and All My Life, dig out their Greatest Hits. Otherwise, bask in this hour of masterful '70s-flavoured jams. [9 Sep 2017, p.50]