Edwin McFee

Cnoc An Tursa - The Forty Five
Metal Hammer
80
Equal parts brutal and beautiful, this epic offering is a cinematic affair that sees the Falkirk four-piece firing on all cylinders creatively.
Soen - Lykaia
Metal Hammer
60
Atmospheric supergroup find a few new tools in their box.
Insomnium - Winter's Gate
Metal Hammer
70
Finnish voyagers Insomnium embark on a single-track epic.
Vektor - Terminal Redux
Metal Hammer
80

Taking inspiration from classic concept albums such as Queensrÿche’s Operation: Mindcrime and Fear Factory’s Demanufacture, Philly thrashers Vektor have set their sights on the stars for their mammoth third album Terminal Redux.

Iron Maiden - The Book of Souls
Hot Press
90

Metal maestros make a masterpiece.

The Coronas - The Long Way
Hot Press
70
The Coronas’ major label debut is bursting with ambition.
Cheryl - Only Human
Hot Press
50

The former reality TV contestant and current X Factor judge really needed to up her game with her fourth solo outing. Unfortunately, her latest effort sees her stumble, in some cases, spectacularly so.

Alice in Chains - The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
Hot Press
70
Seminal Seattleites unveil solid new chapter.
James Blake - Overgrown
Hot Press
80

Blake has served up a tasty second course in the form of Overgrown: there’s plenty here for both fans and new comers to sink their teeth into.

Car Bomb - ‘w^w^^w^w’
Metal Hammer
80

At 50-ish minutes, W^W^^W^W is the sound of a band at the peak of their powers.

Beach House - Bloom
Hot Press
70
Indie heroes continuine to blossom on their fourth album.
Electric Guest - Mondo
Hot Press
70
Fans of Gnarls Barkley, Scissor Sisters and ‘60s era French pop will adore this record.
JLS - Jukebox
Hot Press
40

Jukebox is their third record and, somewhat disappointingly, it offers yet another sanitised serving of tweenage diet pop.

JAY-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne
Hot Press
60
Rap royalty deliver a remarkable collaborative effort.
Beach House - Teen Dream
Hot Press
40

Underwhelming third outing for nu-gaze duo.

Fever Ray - Fever Ray
Hot Press
70
Karin from The Knife makes desolate but inspiring dance record.
deadmau5 - At Play
Hot Press
60
The ten tracks consist of DJ-friendly unmixed sonic assaults and fans of modern dance music will adore the clutter-free production and engaging rhythms.
Panic! at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.
Hot Press
40
Sgt Emo’s Lonely Hearts Club Band delivers a less than thrilling album.
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
Hot Press
60
This writer is a firm believer that every album you pick up should be a universally accessible experience. Solitude, sanctuary and silence spawn an exorcism of sorts.

June Playlist