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.