The debut LP from the Sheffield quintet, Parasomnia is a painstakingly intricate body of work that defines Dead Cosmonauts as an entity for pure creative ingenuity. However, it’s also a record that defies standard convention. Impossible to pigeonhole in thanks to it’s organic incorporation of sludge, psych, prog and retro-synth motifs and releasing following recent endeavours that saw the band release EPs on DIY lathe cut vinyl and performances in a genuine cemetery, Parasomnia is the full encapsulation of what makes this act so brilliant. Whilst it would be oh-so easy to compare this record to the likes of Russian Circles in thanks to it’s atmosphere, 65daysofstatic in due to it’s driving synths or Din Of Celestial Birds and Mountain Caller in relation to it’s rich storytelling, in truth, even making such elementary comparisons would be doing the band’s scope a disservice. Parasomnia is the unfettered and well-articulated expression of the band’s in ingenuity delivered with instrumental charisma.
Though be a great record on it’s own musical merits it may be, what truly makes Parasomnia so special it’s thematic concept. Directly inspired by the filmography of Tarkovsky and other fantastical workings that abstractly ruminate on our fractured sociocultural way of living, Parasomnia is an Orwellian concept record that explores living in an inhospitable end-time engineered through the callous hands of those who govern us. A bold concept yes, but the subtlety maximalist fashion in which this act document such themes is fantastic. By utilising an expanded instrumental pallette incorporating strings, keys, double bass and more, the realisation of the theme refrains from being overtly overbearing whist still being as vividly cinematic as the works that inspired it. Truthfully, the way in which Dead Cosmonauts warn us of the future we are barreling towards and the dystopia that awaits us in reality is on par with the art of fellow post-rock orientated acts such as Modern Technology, Torpor and even genre juggernauts Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
On the record, the band states; “We want Parasomnia to be a reflection of the world and current affairs that we feel trapped within, highlighting themes of mental health struggles, societal collapse, political unrest – and how the news and social media have become things to fear and keep us up at night, unwillingly ingraining into our collective subconscious. It’s our nightmare and unfortunately everyone else’s too.” Parasomnia is released via Trepanation Recordings (CD, Cassette) and Do It Thissen (Vinyl) on November 17th. Pre-order the record here, and listen to it exclusively below.
UK punk has been missing a particular type of sound for quite some time now, and Last Hounds might just have the answer. The Birmingham fivepiece’s blistering delivery will take you right back to 2007, a time when letlive., Comeback Kid and Gallows ruled the punk airwaves; they’ve got the bark, and the bite to deliver high octane, explosive noise right into your earholes. That’s not the only trick in their repertoire though. With ‘Bubbles’, Last Hounds borrow a leaf straight out of Turnstile’s book, lacing the nostalgic sounding track with a hefty amount of groove and some floaty, more ambient moments before smashing right back in with some gnarly, heavy punk noise. Last Hounds definitely wear their influences on their sleeves, but they wear them well, and following on from their 2021 debut album Burden, ‘Bubbles’ is fantastic continuation in sound and a welcome return from a band that knows what they’re all about and nail the delivery every time. – Elliot Grimmie
They say all good things must come to an end, when Press To MECO called it a day earlier this year, Unpeople rose from its still smouldering ashes, playing both Press To MECOs final and Unpeople’s debut show at this year’s 2000Trees. Luke Caley and Jake Crawford carry their affinity for writing huge riffs and harmonised vocals into this already gleaming new project; long with drummer Richard Rayner and Sarpa Salpa’s Meg Mash on bass, they’ve concocted a surefire recipe for success. Their debut track ‘Smother’ is a delicious first course in what feels like a huge step for a band barely begun with a filthy riff to kick things off, accompanied by an instantly memorable lick. This band somehow manages to fit a bit of everything you could want from them in a single track, it’s got bite, it’s got a big singalong chorus, it’s got gargantuan guitars, gang chants, pensive, emotional lyrics, and it’s all wrapped up in a tidy 3ish-minute package. Nothing short of an absolutely glorious introduction to a band we can’t wait to hear more from. – Elliot Grimmie
Unveiling the first track under his solo moniker Smo, Sammy Urwin (Employed To Serve, Renounced) has fully embraced his love of industrial, nu-metal in ‘Real People’. It’s got bounce, groove and attitude for days, the perfect soundtrack to WWE entrances from the Attitude Era – and that’s absolutely a compliment. Starting with scraping guitars and a driving groove, Urwin spits furiously over it. It’s a side to him we’ve rarely – if ever – seen, but as with seemingly everything else he turns his hand to, the riffs are colossal and it’s a great time. – Will Marshall
It’s doubtful whether a collaboration between Canadian metalcore quartet, Spiritbox and currently one of the most popular female rap artists, Megan Thee Stallion, was on anyone’s 2023 bingo card, but ‘Cobra (Rock Remix)’ is passionate, edgy and it just plain works. A welcomed surprise release following their critically acclaimed latest EP The Fear of Fear, ‘Cobra (rock remix)’ seamlessly collides two worlds together infusing heavy instrumentals and Courtney’s screams with Megan’s verses along with a punchy melodic chorus delivered by LaPlante. The metal/rap crossover may have been explored in the past, but ‘Cobra (rock remix)’ feels current, almost refreshing and concludes a fantastic and exciting year for Spiritbox. – Amy Bowles
Topping the lineup for next year’s gargantuan event are none other than Queens Of The Stone Age, Fall Out Boy and Avenged Sevenfold. They will be joined by both some of the biggest names within the alternative music spectrum as well as some of the best emerging talent in the global scene in what is being stated as a revitalisation of the world renowned festival.
Alongside the aforementioned headliners, announced today are the likes of The Offspring, Machine Head, Bad Omens, While She Sleeps, The Used, Heilung, Polyphia, The Black Dahlia Murder and many more international heavyweights. In terms of the undercard, Calva Louise, Celestial Sanctuary, Counterparts, Delilah Bon, Dying Wish, Heriot, Scene Queen, Pinkshift, Speed and The Callous Daoboys are just some of the names announced this evening.
Globally renowned as arguably the biggest dates in the alternative music calendar, Download Festival 2024 comes following the festival’s 20th anniversary this year. On tonight’s announcement, head festival organiser Andy Copping states: “After our unbelievable 20th anniversary celebrations last year, we couldn’t be more excited about what DLXXI has in store. This year we have two brand new headliners in the form of Queens Of The Stone Age and Fall Out Boy, as well as the mighty Avenged Sevenfold and a whole host of huge names that make every second of Download Festival memorable. I can’t wait to join the fans there – it is our home. With first time headliners and our first headline partner with Liquid Death we are embracing the evolution of Download Festival. We have the best and friendliest community together and we can’t wait to celebrate the next 20 years of Download with you all.”
As per always, Download Festival 2024 will take place at Donington Park, Leicestershire, between the dates of 14th – 16th June. Find tickets and additional information here, and see the lineup thus far below.
Taking place at it’s usual home of Bristol’s Fernhill Farm between August 14th – 17th, ArcTanGent 2024 will be hosting some of the festival’s long-term favourites and fresh new talent visiting the farm for the first time. Topping the bill thus far are Belfast post-rock legends and Wednesday headliners And So I Watch You From Afar – who will performing a fan selected setlist – Aussie guitar virtuoso Plini and UK festival exclusives Red Fang and Textures. They will also be joined by the brilliant and soon to be missed Three Trapped Tigers, who will be performing a farewell set following the confirmation of their disbandment this afternoon.
Also joining the stacked bill today are Night Verses, Conan, Gallops, AK/DK, Curse These Metal Hands, Hexvessel, KEN Mode, Colossal Squid, Frail Body, Cats and Cats and Cats, Komfortrauschen, Tokky Horror, Shy, Low, Cobra the Impaler, Squid Pisser, Maruja, Sunnata, Filth is Eternal, Every Hell, BLACKSHAPE, Iress, Haus Horo, Sâver, Tankengine, Healthliving, Cassus, HAAL, Modern Technology, Torpor, Sun Spot and Peach. Performing on the Wednesday alongside ASIWYFA will be Bossk, LLNN, Psychoaut, Cobra The Impaler, Din Of Celestial Birds, Hidden Mothers and the world’s greatest Baroness tribute band Curse These Metal Bands.
On todays announcement festival head honcho James Scarlett states;”As it’s the 10 year anniversary of ArcTanGent Festival we’re hell bent on making this year even more special than usual. Although we can’t quite hit you with our headliners just yet, we’ve been sitting on too much of an incredible Wednesday line up, and too many special sets from so many of my favourite bands, to not to drop something. We’re honoured to also have two once-in-a-lifetime sets from And So I Watch You From Afar and Three Trapped Tigers at ArcTanGent 2024. It’s going to be biblical.”
With more to come – including the headliners – ArcTanGent 2024 is looking colossal already. See the lineup so far below, find tickets and additional information here and we’ll see you down the farm come August.
One of the best names in post-rock beckons. Taken from their upcoming second Chronicle II: Hypergenesis – released January 26th via Church Road Records – ‘Dead Language’ is the full fleshed out embodiment of what make Mountain Caller so utterly brilliant. Hulking with a sense of progressive density that’s comparable to the lies of Russian Circles, *Shels and Elder whilst still brimming with a sense of verdant vibrancy, ‘Dead Language is both a continuation of the band’s brilliant approach to post-rock found within their debut whilst furthering the story that’s chronicled within their work. On top of this, the track also see’s the band entwining even more textures into their panromantic and rich sound with rare vocals courtesy of bassist El Reeve. Simply, if you’re yet to begin your journey with this wonderful band, ‘Dead Language’ is a vital first step. – Dan Hillier
Coining “bimbocore” and taking TikTok, then the world, by storm without even a debut album, Scene Queen is set to put that final piece of the puzzle in next spring with Hot Singles In Your Area, and she’s unveiled the y’allternative anthem ‘MILF’ as its lead single. Fans who caught her on the recent headline tour will have heard it already, a blend of hoedown country with chuggy metalcore breakdowns that wears sex positivity on its sleeve. As Scene Queen explains, “The track came about from sitting with friends and asking, ‘what if we took all the most gate-kept genres and put them together?’ And it turned into one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written.” – Will Marshall
Dropping midway through their campaign of annihilation around the UK, Going Off have unveiled a pair of brand new singles sure to keep the pits moving. ‘Servant to the Skin’ is, as vocalist Jake Huxley describes, “about the fact that all human consciousness is bound to the human body. This living vessel, made up of flesh, bone, blood and all the gristly bits in between,” drawing heavily on Hellraiser for inspiration. It’s a slower, sludgy piece of nastiness that’s followed by second single ‘Smile’ that sounds perfect for two-stepping to. Barely four minutes together, it’s a scathing reminder of just how good the Mancunian outfit are and is sure to, uh, go off. – Will Marshall
MLVLTD crew members Rough Justice are finally releasing their first record after 10 years of being a band. Those 10 years have been difficult, as all the members have other projects (their drummer, Josh Baines, shreds for Malevolence) but the stars have finally aligned. ‘Backwards Mask’ is the first track from January release Faith In Vain, and it’s a furious slab of British hardcore. With a snare drum that sounds like a beer keg falling down the stairs and possessing one hell of a chug, it’s a massive statement of intent. The vocals are suitably pissed off, with “my eyes burn in the acid rain” being a particularly brutal line. Joining Malevolence and NY hardcore guest-spot lovers Pain of Truth on tour in the new year, big things are coming for the band and if the rest of the record sounds this vitriolic and furious, then it seems justice will be served. – Chris Earl
Dedicated to all those “looking down the barrel of the big three-oh”, the latest single from power post punks Kid Kapichi is bound to resonate with all of us who are witnessing the final grains of youth slipping through our fingers. Taken from the band’s freshly announced record There Goes The Neighbourhood – released March 15th via Spinefarm – ‘Tamagotchi’ is a humorous yet sincere love letter to the halcyon days of youth, times void of the turmoil that characterise modern living. Admittedly, this track may be a slight contrast to how the band have used their venom-tipped punk to articulate societal injustices, but regardless, ‘Tamagotchi’ is a fun respite from the grim nature of our current times. “‘Tamagotchi’ is a song about turning 30 and feeling for the first time like your life is running away from you.” says frontman Jack Wilson. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve found myself being more nostalgic about the past and the ‘good times’. This song is a homage to those times and fond memories whilst stubbornly clawing onto them.” – Dan Hillier
Originally a one day event, Takedown Festival will be expanding to full weekend festival next year, with the festival now taking place on 13th – 14th April 2024 at it’s new home of Portsmouth Guildhall. Topping the lineup will be UK horror punk icons Creeper, who will be headlining the festival following the release of their brilliant third full length Sanguivore. Joining them will be firm festival favourites Dinosaur Pile-Up, ‘A’, Dreamstate, Kid Bookie, Snayx, Mimi Barks, Hell Is For Heroes, Stone Broken, BLACKGOLD, Dead Pony, Urne, Mason Hill and many more.
After taking an eight year hiatus, Takedown Festival returned in spectacular fashion this year with a colossal lineup featuring the likes of Sleep Token, Skindred, Loathe, CLT DRP, Jamie Lenman and tons more. Whilst restarting large scale events in this climate can be a troublesome task, this year’s event reaffirmed the festival as one the best events on the South Coast and even saw the festival being nominated for several awards at this year’s UK Festival Awards.
On the announcement, the festival organisers state “We are really excited to announce today the first bands for the Takedown Festival 2024 line up! Now expanded to 2 days, 2024 will be the biggest Takedown Festival ever and we are determined to make it the best yet! We have been blown away by the support and feedback we have received since bringing back one of the best-loved events to the South Coast earlier this year, including three nominations in the UK Festival Awards, and we are delighted to see Takedown staking its place as one of the key rock festivals in the calendar. The line-up announced so far offers a great range of bands and we’ve got more exciting announcements to come!”
Takedown Festival 2024 takes place on 13th – 14th April 2024 Portsmouth Guildhall. Peep the full lineup below, find further information and tickets here, and keep and eye out for further names soon.
