A record that's powered in equal parts by defiance and ambition. [18 Mar 2017, p.52]

Good, old-fashioned raging against the machine has rarely sounded better. [1 Feb 2014, p.55]

The Ocala quintet's heaviest record since 2007's For Those Who Have Heart. [27 Aug 2016, p.50

Cult Of Luna’s evolution shows no signs of slowing down. The Long Road North is another welcome addition on their quest to push sonic boundaries and is one of their hardest hitting releases yet.

The album is far heavier, rawer and rootsier than its predecessor. [3 May 2014, p.52]

For an album about broken faith, this should convert a lot of new listeners. [29 Aug 2015, p.52]

Power Up is a reminder that this music has a power that belies its apparent simplicity (and here do not mistake this for being easy – go stand in a practice room and listen to how many drummers can’t do the ’DC beat properly). The context and tragic shadow from which it comes and the world into which it arrives makes its odes to freewheeling good times so very poignant.

A dozen svelte and self-assured songs that are ear-catching in terms of being both highly accessible while being imaginatively arranged. [3 Dec 2016, p.53]

It's not quite Destroyer good, but then again, it's not quite Animalize bad either. [13 Oct 2012, p.53]

It's a divergence from Green Day, certainly. But a good one. [23 Nov 2013, p.52]

Ultimately, this album is a promise that as brilliantly beguiling as Chelsea Wolfe has always been, her big picture is still coming into focus.

Fuelled by personal tragedies and savage times, this fifth album is understandably dark in tone, but never feels too austere to engage.

Single Mothers refreshingly don't care if you like them or not. So take them or leave them, but you'd be a fool to miss out. [17 Jul 2017, p.53]

A grandiose and ambitious album. [5 Nov 2016, p.50]

This remains a feral ball of aggression and loathing. And frankly, we wouldn't want it any other way. [13 Oct 2012, p.54]

These masterfully cherry-picked tunes help explain why it's not always clear whether Ghost B.C. are a metal act with pop leanings or vice versa. [9 Nov 2013, p.52]

One of the defining features of Beatopia is that it’s much less immediate than Fake It Flowers – there aren’t so many catchy, love-at-first-listen bops, but the ones that are there, namely the fizzy pop-rock jam 10:36 and the scuzzy euphoria of Talk, are a lot of fun. The more left field moments here are handled with just as much assurance and burst with creativity.

It's as sharp as can be, as powerful as an atom bomb, and exactly the sort of thrilling metal adventure you want from them. [17 Mar 2018, p.53]

It might not have anything with the same riotous energy as It's A Raid, his punked-up duet with Post Malone that went off like a feral firework, but it still radiates a sense of the thing you love keeping you excited and feeling alive.

This is sparse, atmospheric and utterly compelling. [19 Feb 2012, p.51]

And so, just like that, Tenacious D are back. They're funny, they're absurd and they're hotter than a phoenix. Sorry, fenix. Let's just hope we don't have to wait another six years for the next one. [May 2012, p.52]

Some will inevitably hold every Public Enemy album up against their ironclad classics like Fear Of A Black Planet and It Takes A Nation Of Millions, but to compare What You Gonna Do… to these untoppable milestones is to miss the point. What matters is that PE are not only still going after all this time, but still making music that matters.

Given how good Meliora is, it's fair to say Ghost are ablaze too. [29 Aug 2015, p.51]

For those who like their rock and metal to hit with swift immediacy, Take Me Back To Eden’s hour-plus runtime might prove a bit of a slog, but if you allow yourself to be fully immersed in Sleep Token’s world, the sonic rewards are plentiful.

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.

Calm and collected when it needs to be but by no means lacking in heart and passion, this album is a fine collection of songs by an artist intent on forging her own path.

It’s a record influenced by Sabbath and Sleep, Power Trip and Pantera – and it shows through proudly.

It's a record so strong that it's hard to single out standout tracks, and even harder to locate points of weakness, and by anyone's standards this is one hell of an achievement. [30 Apr 2011, p.50]