Despite being split between Sheffield and London, Desolated have made geography and circumstance work for them to complete their long-anticipated new release, Finding Peace. Now composed of guitarist Richy Unsworth and bassist Dan Ford, with Charlie Thorpe (Malevolence) on drums, Les Law (Bun Dem Out, Fifty Calibre) on guitar, and Tony Evans (Idle Hands) stepping in as the new voice of the band, Desolated have weathered over five years of remote writing sessions with voice-noted riff ideas, and miles travelled to have in person meets.
Juggling full-time jobs, the group faced the daunting task of replacing their frontman mid-process, but rather than derail the momentum, it refined it. The result is their heaviest, most cohesive work to date. Leaning harder into the band’s roots, and with guest features from all over the world such as Ninebar, Whispers, and D Bloc, this album is easily placed into Hardcore history. This piece captures a matured and sharpened sound reborn in 2025, tempered by distance, life, and sheer will.
If this album was written and recorded in El Paso, Texas in the year 2000 it would seem entirely plausible. Speculative Fiction shares so many of the wonderful personality traits as a pillar of the genre, At The Drive In from winding guitars which border on the unhinged before revealing raw emotion in every erratic riddle. Take that and add some Palm Reader and Birds in Row and you have a cacophony which is heart-wrenching in its delivery and composed with magnificent detail.
Carrying the emotional toil of Touché Amoré, founding member and vocalist Adam Paul is a flawless conduit for Speculative Fiction impassioned address which begins not with sonic assault but with eerie vocals and gradual emergence in ‘The Waiter’ with the distorted signal crashing into the rasp and anguish of Paul to give us our harrowing introduction. Its frankness is interlaced with just as much melodicism as lead single ‘Crashing Into A Hillside In The Dead Of Night’ is ripped straight from the heart of the early 2000s with a Sega Genesis Star Fox inspired music video to colour its howling chorus and feverish guitars. Their science fiction inspired presentation bleeds into their stage presence as TV monitors litter stages as an aching Paul who is often wrapped in his own cables to express a message of personal devastation, personified in ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ and its frantic performance video.
Opener ‘Sub-Orbital Blues’ wastes no time, immediately hitting with the weight of a freight train. Biting riffs and metalcore-tinged vocals crash headfirst into the band’s signature death metal edge. Familiar since its 2023 release, it’s a fitting opener for the album that sets the tone with precision and poise. That momentum doesn’t let up, powering through the record’s full 50-minute runtime in a brutal, unrelenting surge.
The band promised us a return to the technical ferocity of Monarchy and The Conscious Seed of Light, and ‘Despair Church’ delivers on that in spades. Clocking in at six minutes, it’s a searing dose of progressive death metal that scratches your brain in all the right ways. It could’ve easily overstayed its welcome, but expert pacing keeps it razor-sharp from start to finish.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this album is that, despite its intensity, tracks like ‘Water & Time’ offer space to breathe and reflect without ever feeling slow or dull. This more introspective, restrained moment only makes the surrounding heaviness hit harder. It might be the album’s most metalcore-leaning track, but it still feels unmistakably like Rivers of Nihil. The layered vocals and rich harmonies are stunning, and in keeping with the lyrical themes, the track flows with an effortless, liquid grace.
You know the heavy vocals are coming (it is Rivers of Nihil, after all), but they still land with such sudden force that they catch you off guard. ‘Water & Time’ is a masterclass in dynamics, showing that heaviness is not just about volume. It is about contrast, control, and emotional weight. Just when you think the album has shown all its cards, ‘The Logical End’ sweeps in with lush synths, soaring guitars, and guttural vocals. It’s a final, emphatic reminder that Rivers of Nihil aren’t just blending genres, they’re pushing boundaries, and taking the time to craft something entirely their own.
‘An Artist Is An Artist’ finds indomitable vocalist Skin biting down hard on that statement of fact, repeating it with righteous pride and venom. Age, past plaudits, and audience expectation aren’t going to cage a band that swam against a current of identikit Britpop to establish themselves as an arena-size act on their own terms. Despite the years of legwork it’s abundantly clear that Skunk Anansie aren’t here to cash cheques and play the hits.
What follows the bracing opener is an album that is both fiery and vulnerable; grounded in pain but propelled by a palpable creative spirit. TV on the Radio’s David Sitek’s production credits range from Kelis to Weezer and his deft touch allows for a blend of styles to flourish. ‘This is Not Your Life’ is a bright, danceable burst of defiance, while ‘Shame’ slows things down into a delicate, open-hearted confessional:
“I got the love from my mother / I got the pain from my dad / I got the blame from my brother / Shame, I got it bad”
The weight of the lines lingers and self-reflection on the part of the listener is left to fill the spaces in between.
There’s a freewheeling sense of exploration within the track list on The Painful Truth. The sly wit buried in the stomp of “Cheers,” with its driving guitar line and nimble drums, plays like a sarcastic anthem aimed squarely at the powers that be, or perhaps at God. ‘Shoulda Been You’ blends an opening reggae groove with indie rock attitude, crafting a hooky, melodic standout.
Cwfen (pronounced: Coven) have made quite the impression since bursting into the underground scene just over 18 months ago. Hailed for their intense live shows and having the opportunity to open for the likes of Dopethrone, Agriculture and Witching; alongside sharing festival bills with niche heavyweights like Deafheaven, Chat Pile and Liturgy. When Cwfen made their way into the studio last year, they only expected to come out with a few singles, but here we are now with their luscious debut album Sorrows.
Somewhat segmented by experimental instrumental passages labelled as ‘Fragments 1-3’ across the track list, the first introduction to Cwfen proper comes in the form of the melancholy mid-tempo nod of fan favourite breakout ‘Bodies’. It makes for an excellent first impression, now polished from their original vision in demo form; hypnotic and plodding, strong melodies and powerful vocals flipping easily between harrowing cries and subtle harsh howls drawing you in for Sorrows to unfold. The ferocious ‘Wolfsbane’ follows, Agnes Alder’s vocal lines growing in intensity as the repetitions become morph from speech to ravenous, bordering on manic cries. Debut single ‘Reliks’ made a big splash upon release last October and sits perfectly in the first half of Sorrows. Embodying a strong throwback vibe, fully embracing the melodic energy of classic hard rock ballads in their twisted and darker shades, making a nice stylistic shake up somewhat early into the album whilst delivering more strong helpings doom tinged goth worship.
Merseyside maestros Kusanagi have nestled into the consciousness of the UK’s post-rock underground for a number of years having appeared at genres most sacred congregations which has given them the rightfully earned confidence to invite us on this conceptual expedition through the medium of expertly crafted progressive post-rock. The albums concept of the planes between dream and reality are well suited and expertly realised through the Kusanagi core sound where imagination runs rampant into outer space in similar fashion to 65daysofstatic and their contribution to the world building of video game No Mans Sky.
Opening track ‘Night Symmetry’ feels like the grandiose launch of a vessel setting off for grand exploration as the emphatic drums builds with the introduction of sparkling guitars begin to build like an orchestra as Paramnesia comes to life and we leave our atmosphere to explore new pockets of human subconsciousness. Beautiful scaling guitars on ‘Polymorph’ are light and energetic, drops in pace are intriguing and crescendos are satisfying in ways which make bands like Din of Celestial Birds such addictive listening. The interplay between all instrumentals is spacious but not empty, hopping along with excitement to prevent any passage feeling hollow.
