It’s interesting to hear Candy embracing their experimental side and, for anyone in any doubt, their industrial tinged noise is every bit as horrible as their hardcore – a wonderful spectrum that ranges from explosive anger to sinister brooding.

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.

Immediate heaviosity is in short supply, but Cold dark Place instead offers plenty of alternate impact. [30 Sep 2017, p.52]

Dig deeper and beguiling melodies emerge while the intriguingly sinister edge to Cacie Dalager's lyrics is exposed. [25 Aug 2012, p.53]

It’s a lot of fun. With all this in mind, will such an eccentric listen be for everyone? Probably (k)not. But, right now, you’d be silly to not let yourself get caught up in it.

An album which walks the wild side with instinctive ease and righteous fury. [13 Jul 2013, p.54]

Drug Church are as addictively seductive as ever and listening to Hygiene might just be one of the most satisfying things you can do in less than half an hour.

It’s an altogether more oppressive album than Brighten, and therefore something that Alice In Chains fans are going to want in their lives. That said, I Want Blood still knows when to pause for breath.

Whatever facet of Trent’s oeuvre you’re into, you’ll be well serviced by Nine Inch Noize, a thrilling addition to a career characterised by innovation. Credit must be given to Boys Noize, too, for helping inspire this incredible musical detour. It’s one worth taking. Again and again.

They craft near-perfect garage-rock songs to hang the thrills and frills from. [22 Sep 2012, p.53]

It's nothing we've not heard before from Clutch, but it remains superbly head-crushing. [10 Oct 2015, p.52]

Back On Top never loses sight of something very important: trying something new. [24 Oct 2015, p.52]

This is a brave, bold and ambitious album, and the finest of Lower Than Atlantis' career so far. [4 Feb 2017, p.50]

After listening to Ascent, you'll be hard-pressed to locate a better batch of mesmerising mind-expanding jams this year. [25 Aug 2012, p.54]

Once again, Arctic Thunder sees Darkthrone doing something different, without doing much different than usual. [22 Oct 2016, p.69]

A long-overdue show of individual brilliance.

This isn't for the weak-hearted or easily offended. But Body Count are definitely raucous fun. [28 Jun 2014, p.53]

They’ve emerged as one of the most vital punk-fuelled bands of the age, and their live show is a huge part of that. Check this out to see why. [7 Dec 2019, p.54]

Dreams On Toast is spread to the corners with the familiar and the fresh, equal parts self-awareness and self-regard, resulting in their finest album of this, the second coming of The Darkness.

If you want The Art Of Drowning-era iteration, then they’re still there on record forevermore. This is the AFI of 2025, though – older, bolder, hairier and doing things their way – and authenticity never goes out of style.

This might be a more reflective, experimental IDLES, but they remain a band filled equally with anger, humour and vitriol. And, whichever direction they take, it still sounds fantastic.

It's the sound of a band who know their craft inside out, but who aren't afraid to grow and try something new. [29 Sep 2012, p.53]

Madina Lake sound not only more organic but also more alive. [1 Oct 2011, p.51]

Remastered, here, and packaged alongside demos, radio sessions, alternative mixes and a live DVD, it shows the breadth of the band's early ambitions. [3 Dec 2011, p.50]

When an album imbued with the spirit of heroism, the opening track has to boldly throw down the gauntlet. Job done. [15 Oct 2016, p.51]

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

It perhaps didn’t have to be so lengthy, especially when it’s made dense by a surplus of delicate ballads that sound just a tad too similar. However, its concept, eloquence and even just its sheer emotional weight all serve to make this record special nonetheless, both for its quality and as a document of Halsey’s survival.

There are dramatic dynamic shifts and a defter blend of melody and muscle, making this by far the best album the Ohio outfit have yet produced. [10 Sep 2011, p.51]

A little piece of heaven indeed. [26 Aug 2017, p.48]

It's vibrant and soulful, but undercut with a darkness that's hinted just enough to haunt these songs. [28 Jun 2014, p.54]

Naturally, those married to traditional song structures need not apply, but if you fancy feeling like your brains in a pinball machine, then Mothership will take you out of this world. [15 Oct 2016, p.52]

Gwen and co. prove that, when it comes to state-of-the-art, good-time punk-dance, they're still the fairest of them all. [29 Sep 2012, p.54]

This is the best album You Me At Six have made. [1 Oct 2011, p.50]

Funny and poignant, it marks Max out as one of the most intriguing songwriters of his scene. [12 Jan 2019, p.55]

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

Despite Daylight's unapologetically retro vibe, this is one of 2013's standout debuts so far. [27 Apr 2013, p.53]

This latest offering is as uncorrupted a rock album as any released this year, 33 minutes of breakneck, tyre-screeching anthems.

This is a splendid return. [7 Jul 2018, p.55]

It's simply heavy metal: proud, fearless, loud. [19 Jul 2014, p.52]

Priorities is chock-full off gargantuan tunes. [11 Aug 2012, p.52]

Once again, Enslaved have produced music that kicks slavish notions of genre limitations into touch. [29 Sep 2012, p.54]

At the point where most bands start to slow down, Pissed Jeans have hit the accelerator.

This is the sound of Coliseum growing up without getting old and boring. [27 Apr 2013, p.54]

One of the best albums of 2013. [13 Jul 2013, p.54]

Impera is among Ghost’s very best and sure to push them even closer to those heavenly heights.

What Radiosurgery proves beyond any doubt is that New Found Glory are as fired up now in 2011 as they were when they first emerged in 1997. [1 Oct 2011, p.53]

Admittedly, without Trent's voice and lyrics it lacks the sense of introspection that defines classic NIN albums, but that doesn't matter; the master is back at work. [16 Oct 2010, p.52]

Beautifully arranged and commandingly composed, Be More Kind is a great work from an expert in his craft. [5 May 2018, p.55]

For the most part though, this is The Ghost Inside getting back to the largely straightforward, undeniably powerful mix of metal and hardcore they have always done so well.

Taken as a whole, it’s the hardest and heaviest album they’ve ever made, and across its 10 tracks, it’s also Sum 41 at their most creative and willing to explore their frontiers.

Truth Decay is an album that sees You Me At Six grabbing elements from 2014’s Cavalier Youth and 2010’s Hold Me Down. Then it wraps them up into a time capsule of what it means to be a young adult in the ever-difficult 2020s.

So Much (For) Stardust does have a foot in a past FOB, but where they're taking you is somewhere you weren't expecting, and it's equally welcome. Just as importantly, they sound like Fall Out Boy again.

The confidence with which these 10 tracks are delivered is proof this is just the beginning. There’s some growing up to be done, but right now, The Linda Lindas are revelling in the joys of youth, and it sounds great.

An excellent comeback. [15 Oct 2011, p.51]

The quartet have concocted an irresistibly anthemic collection of songs. [2 Apr 2011, p.51]

It crucially all gels properly into something all of its own, rather than disparate parts that won't mix no matter how hard they're shaken. [26 Oct 2019, p.54]

With overwhelming heaviness tempered by blues and gospel vibes, this enthralling comeback soothes the soul even as Goatsnake crush your ears. [13 Jun 2015, p.52]

The Essex four-piece rarely put a foot wrong. [1 Sep 2012, p.50]

There are a few more stately and sombre moments, like the atmospheric Daggers Of Black Haze, bu this is still At The Gates absolutely owning their sound and their legacy. [19 May 2018, p.55]

If you love pop-punk in its most unadulterated, carefree form, you'll heart this. [28 Mar 2015, p.52]

It's a stunning return to form from a band whose best years, until now, had looked to be behind them. [26 May 2012, p.54]

Those who are only after heavy guitars in their music won’t be completely satisfied. .... But this stunning, expansive collection of songs delivers exactly what this torrid world needs: a simultaneous celebration and indictment that will stand the test of time for decades to come.

It's execution is what makes it Sum 41's finest offering to date. [15 Oct 2016, p.50]

Whether you love or hate the aggressive verse/pop chorus dynamic, it's hard to deny that, when they take flight, All That Remains do so in stunning style. [16 Oct 2010, p.53]

A deft and skillful trio, here songs such as the effervescent Annabel, the spacious and confident It's A Trap and the irrepressible, bouncing Buzzkill make this point with insouciant ease. [19 May 2018, p.55]

It's a lean, mean metallic assault from a band who only seem to get better with age. [11 Aug 2012, p.53]

With late Love, Oslo's Wolves like is have delivered a catchy, heartfelt racket driven by throbbing grooves and drenched in ringing guitars. [18 Jun 2011, p.52]

This is still towering, hazy, stoner metal--it's just shaped with more craft than once before and is therefore far more interesting. [16 Oct 2010, p.50]

There's a middle-fingered severity that runs right through Sulphur English, knitting these different components into a coherent identity which can't be captured by portmanteau tags like blackened sludge or post-doom. [Apr 13, p.55]

A compelling, dizzying blend of chaos, commotion and beauty. [2 Jun 2018, p.55]

It's simple stuff, but it's as powerful and unstoppable as an avalanche. [6 Jan 2018, p.54]

There are numerous peaks on what might be Torche's finest album since 2008's Meanderthal. [20 Jul 2019, p.58]

The melodic emo guitar parts are more catchy than most of their ilk, while nostalgic pop-culture references are both comforting and sincere. [11 Oct 2014, p.53]

Twenty One Pilots prove you don't always need guitars to have a good time. [16 May 2015, p.54]

This comeback album from industrial metal outsiders Godflesh effortlessly recaptures the visceral appeal of their early days. [11 Oct 2014, p.55]

It’s a joyous riot from start to finish, and all comes together to form a loveable, middle-fingers-up record that furthers the recent work of bands like Dream Nails, Drones and Nova Twins in demonstrating the strength of modern UK punk.

This latest actualisation of their sound is just the beginning of an exciting new trajectory of musical exploration and experimentation.

There's a rare talent in being able to soundtrack a nightmare and put it to a catchy beat, but it's a skill in which this deadly duo have become absolute masters. [17 Aug 2019, p.55]

It finds them rocking even harder than usual. [1 Oct 2016, p.51]

The Canyon showcases a consistent and powerful synergy between strong songwriting, potent subject matter, and eclectic musicianship that proves The Used continue to grow as people and as a band 15 years into their career. [28 Oct 2017, p.50]

This appears to be the start of a promising new chapter.

On The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, the war machine is resolutely in-gear. Whatever the cause (COVID weirdness, the sacking of long-time bassist Dave Ellefson, logging onto Twitter for five minutes), it's killer.

As sweeping final ballad Excelsis picks up where previous closing tracks Life Eternal (Prequelle) and Respite On The Spitalfields (Impera) left off, compelling listeners to live life to the fullest with one eye on the inevitability of death, there’s surely no-one else living quite so deliciously on the level of The Devil.

As their most mature and focussed album yet, Tomorrow We Escape shows Ho99o9 can go the distance to rage on and burn bright well into the future.

24 tracks call into question the issue of quality control, but as short, sharp reminders of why all you need is three chords and something to say, there are few better examples than Teenage Time Killers' debut. [8 Aug 2015, p.52]

A record that's a straight-up fantastic return to Brian's rock'n'roll roots. [19 Mar 2016, p.67]

Tiny Moving Parts have moved the latest wave of emo forward and offered it a tissue. [25 Oct 2014, p.53]

It feels like tectonic plates have shifted for the band with The Ghost Of Orion, ushering in the dawn of a new era for My Dying Bride.

Although it might not set your mosh muscles alight like the coffins on its cover, SMTB have improved their genre-exploring recipe with deeper flavours, keeping you coming back for more.

This is more than a revelatory, historical document. While it signals the beginning of the end of the original band, it also confirms that when rock’n’roll is at its best, it pushes forward into new territory and has the power to change how we think and how we feel. Live At Goose Lake is effectively a testament to sonic liberation.

Their intensity remains undimmed on Fires Within Fires, a five-song journey into the Oakland collective's commanding vision. [17 Sep 2016, p.52]

This is NOFX at their leanest, and it absolutely rips. [8 Oct 2016, p.52]

The main business is killing, of course, and business is very good. It’s one of the reasons why Tomb Mold are among the most respected names in the new school of old school. But by allowing their own ideas to run wild atop it all, they’re also comfortably one of its most creative.

There are grooves within grooves, epic 10-minute jams, and they're able to create a feeling of genuine disquiet simply by shifting a drumbeat. Absolutely mammut. [28 Mar 2015, p.54]

This is hook-laden power-pop with one eye on the world's arenas. [4 Oct 2019, p.55]

It's an old school blast, but the tongue-in-ulcer humour and streaks of structural invention prevent them from ever sounding dated. [3 Aug 2013, p.54]

There's a maturity--or at least a noticeable growth--in the band's sound and abilities. [10 Oct 2015, p.50]

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]