It's a sideways step for this pair, then, but not so much a complete mutation as trying on a new, synth-tastic set of clothes. [16 Mar 2019, p.55]

It feels like there's not much tread left on the tyres, although the speaker-thumping production of Hexed make it a cut above 2015's I Worship Chaos. [9 Mar 2019, p.55]

On tracks like Can't Knock The Hustle, Piece Of Cake and High As A Kite, the smartness and deceptive simplicity is lost under a wash of electronic beats and un-catchy melodies. ... They sound boring. [23 Feb 2019, p.54]

Sacrificing none of that trademark musicianship, this is Dream Theater at their most accessible, and they lose nothing for it. [23 Feb 2019, p.55]

The many moods of South Of Reality are both rewarding and unsettling, as if the music exists on shifting sands, and as the work of two wide and creative imaginations, it's tough to beat. [23 Feb 2019, p.55]

Twenty serves as a phenomenal mile-marker for both the past and present, and shows off just what a phenomenal and important band Taking Back Sunday were, are, and will continue to be.

It's a fuzzed-out, heavy-arsed, thoroughly soulful blast of glorious rock thunder that salutes the past with one arm, while bringing in an ultra-cool identity of Rival Sons' own with the other. [9 Feb 2019, p.55]

A solo album that is both deceptively effervescent and dependably well executed. [9 Feb 2019, p.55]

They might not always move in straight lines, but as odd as Spielbergs can sometimes seem, they're also capable of great things with whatever they fancy turning their hands to. [2 Feb 2019, p.55]

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

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.

Its slick, sxy grooves coming over as both a stab at the mainstream and a bold reboot of their established format. [12 Jan 2019, p.55]

It's BMTH's innate ability to stay one step ahead, like they do here, that means the future remains firmly theirs. [19 Jan 2019, p.54]

Papa Roach’s 10th album, then, is neither the unexpected triumph or dated nu-metal fail you might expect. There’s plenty of killer, but it’s held back by an equal amount of filler. [12 Jan 2019, p.53]

A (sad-hearted) joy from start to end. [17 Nov 2018, p.71]

While what's here is good, there could have been more to get your teeth into. At eight songs in length, this collection feels a little slight. [17 Nov 2018, p.69]

The unreleased and rare recordings here make this a brilliant salute to a much-missed hero. [17 Nov 2018, p.70]

The resulting tracks are notably more upbeat than you might expect from a band so normally noted for their sad-lad overtones. [10 Nov 2018, p.55]

High-wire riffs toe the kine between noise and pop, while Patrick's sprayed observations are kerosene on this already combustible mix. [10 Nov 2018, p.55

An album that's by turns gut-wrenching, hauntingly desolate and emotionally devastating. [3 Nov 2018, p.57]

As a neon-lit tonic to Drones, Simulation Theory is bang on the money. But as an exploration of a new frontier, it's a genuinely exciting musical adventure in its own right. [10 Nov 2018, p.53]

This is not a giant sonic leap from her day job. Where it differs, though, is in the breadth and feel of the material. ... Lyrically, Laura is on blistering form. [10 Nov 2018, p.54]

Once again, it's a sonic petrol bomb that makes you feel like you've been set on fire, and once again The Prodigy have proved nobody does it better. [3 Nov 2018, p.59]

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

A pleasingly aggressive, frequently trash-happy affair that has plenty of life to it. [29 Sep 2018, p.55]

Thankfully, the band approached this follow-up with exactly the same extravagant, OTT mindset that made Everybody Wants such a riot. [Oct 27 2018, p.53]

It's another masterful, kaleidoscopic trip from your favourite freaked-out uncle. [13 Oct 2018, p.55]

They might have over-egged the acoustic balladry here, leading to their airiness unbalancing the syncopated beefiness elsewhere, but it's delivered so slickly and confidently that few fans will care. [20 Oct 2018, p.55]