Nobody else has had a career quite like Michael Cera Palin. Emerging from the isolated emo scene of Atlanta, Georgia a decade ago, the three-piece, formed of frontman Elliott Brabant, bassist Jon Williams and drummer Jon Buncic, have carved out a small but dedicated niche with fans across the globe. Doing this by only releasing a pair of relatively short EPs, 2016’s Growing Pains and 2018’s I Don’t Know How To Explain It. Now, on their hotly anticipated debut album We Could Be Brave, the trio double down on their intimate, socially aware messaging while expanding on their expressive, math rock infused indie punk sound.
Album opener ‘Feast Or Famine’ acts as a powerful statement of intent for the new era of Michael Cera Palin with heavier, more intricate and catchier sounds than they’ve ever explored before. Breezing in with a gentle Midwest emo guitar melody backed by lightning fast percussion, the track quickly finds its groove with a chugging riff and forceful vocals, building up to a cathartic breakdown decrying selfish landlords hoarding money and property. ‘Feast Or Famine’ makes a strong case for Michael Cera Palin’s latest era with a polished yet familiar sound carrying a timely and personal message.
As the tongue in cheek title and brightly coloured artwork illustration in homage to 80s movies, namely Teen Wolf, would suggest, this is Raging Speedhorn kicking back and having some fun. What they’ve delivered is a 35-minute high-octane slab of stoner-tinged heavy metal complete with thrills, spills and even a few laughs. There’s an unbridled joy in the heaviness here. Yes the sextet’s claws are out, their teeth are bared and they’re ready to to rip your throat out, but all the while they’re clad in varsity jackets and surfing on the roof of a transit van.
On ‘Buzz Killer’, the band’s swagger-bordering-on-arrogance really bubbles to the surface, as they take out their frustrations on the mood hoovers of this world with almost comical directness “You make me sick! (Buzz Killer) Your life’s a bitch! (Buzz Killer) Don’t be a dick!” And so on. It would be easy to dismiss it as trite if the accompanying riffs weren’t so damn good. There’s even a nod to Zeppelin’s ‘Kashmir’ thrown into the outro for good measure.
‘Can’t Stop’ is a chest pumping, Downset-esque anthem of unity and self belief, repeat with half rapped/half barked verses. ‘Every Night’s Alright For Fighting’ is probably the most Raging Speedhorn track that Raging Speedhorn have ever written. It’s a full on, bloodstained, whiskey soaked bar-room brawl of a track, a flipped table in the face of all that is decent. And while you could argue that at their age the lads should know better, it’s still gloriously entertaining to stand back from a safe distance and watch the chaos unfold. There are knowing winks to the camera scattered throughout such as the banjo shuffle in ‘Comin’ In Hard’ or the frankly hilarious breakdown in ‘Dead Men Can’t Dance’ where Frank Regan starts snarling about boogie-woogieing with Satan.
Making a name for themselves in early 2022 with their self-titled debut double single, Ter Ziele have been carving a space for themselves in their local Dutch scene, playing the likes of Into The Grave, Soulcrusher, Into The Void, and Roadburn Offroad. Garnering a beloved fan base in their home country, the band set their sights further afield and prepare to make themselves known across the metal underground with debut album Embodiment of Death. The band’s sound touches on various corners of the heavy atmospheric spaces. The usage of frail atmospherics and crushing walls of sound from post-black metal influences such as MØL, the similarly bleak sludge post-metal sector helmed by the legendary Belgians Amenra as well as retaining the essence of a doom metal band with soul crushing riffs, hefty grooves and strong melodic chops.
“When we, as humans, accept subjection to suffering, resignation in life inevitably follows.” – Ter Ziele
Opening with the short atmospheric introductory track ‘As Long As I Breathe’, setting the stage for the upcoming experience, a haunting sharp breath before the first clobbering. As ‘The Separation of Body and Soul’ immediately breaks the soft air with a monolithic doom riff and sombre melodies that could soundtrack the collapse of Notre Dame. It’s seven and a half minutes of plodding ferocity, a pendulous axe swinging back and forth threatening to drop at any moment to tear you asunder. The piercing vocals cut through like a knife, sitting somewhere between DSBM and Amenra’s eerie mourning howls. ‘Of Noumenon Reality’ takes its time, the caustic vocals infecting the delicate atmospherics of the track’s opening before rotting it into a post-black metal dirge, depressive energies controlling the slow and highly emotive nod of the melodic grooves. The second half picks up and pushes a powerful emotional climax through what was already a fiery experience.
Here to Destroy is a punchy endeavour in their ever-increasing catalogue. It spans just over twenty minutes and opens with the raucous ‘Stay Tuned’ whilst charismatic lead vocalist Harry Atkins urges the music industry and the punk scene to broaden their horizons and change their fixed ideals, which he argues are still rooted in the 1970s and 1980s, within older generations who were alive during the first revolutionary wave of UK punk.
There’s little variety both instrumentally and vocally within Here to Destroy, which is hardly unexpected. Punk is after all, about the message not showmanship. ‘Lafayette’ is a clear standout though, with its garage-rock inspired riffs, magnetic vocals, and personal lyrics in which Atkins references the Wolverhampton Northern Soul scene and nostalgia towards their hometown. It adds a more personal lyrical variation and the need for escapism during an increasingly hostile political climate.
This really is where The Grey find their strength, in the ability to marry the two sides of their personality and knowing when to let their proverbial Mr Hyde out. Without the expertly crafted melodic passages in tracks like ‘Painted Lady’ or ‘CHVRCH’, where layers are built up slowly and playful melodies are allowed to dance and move fluidly, the sheer weight of the riffs would feel lost and not have the emotional or sonic impact. Each blow is landed with the power and precision of a heavyweight boxer who has filled their gloves with lead and then dipped them in tar.
While the majority of Kodok is instrumental, there are smatterings of vocals throughout the record and mostly to incredible effect. Grady Avenell of Will Haven, brings an extra savagery to ‘Sharpen The Knife’ with his signature, unmistakable howl. Looking closer to their own ranks, bassist Andy Price also lends a similar bellow on the aforementioned ‘CHVRCH’ which breaks like a cathartic wave.
It’s remarkable what Pain Of Truth have been able to achieve in just 5 short years, bringing to life the classic NYHC sound as if it was still 1994. It would sound like some lame parody band in less practiced hands, and their two tracks on this split EP show exactly why they’re the undisputed kings of New York in 2025. ‘Shattered’ does exactly that, shatters your speakers, ear drums, anything even remotely fragile in your near vicinity, coming absolutely roaring in with one of the beefiest riffs ever laid down, and from that moment on it simply does not let up until you’re left broken and beaten on the floor. The ultimate sound of a chip on your shoulder, there’s no tough guy act here, nothing forced is forced. It’s just a pure hardcore beatdown.
The sheer force of will on these songs is incredible, rolling along like a runaway train, aided by the hulking tone on the guitars elevating the size of the riffs into something monolithic. None of this is to say that it lacks artistry though; it’s there in the chaotic staccato riffing, it’s in the stomping drums. Both of these have been heard before, but this is hardcore crafted to near perfection. Influences are supposed to be worn proudly on your sleeve, it’s supposed to be in your face, why lead your listeners to a conclusion when you can force it down their throats directly through their skulls? There’s a blend of hip hop in the sound that fits so perfectly, the flow of the vocals, barked like hardcore but almost rapped like hip hop and the groove throughout the rhythm section, bring these songs to life.
