Freedom Call are to arena rock what a souped up Harley is to an e-scooter. The brainchild of Chris Bay has entered its 20th year of delivering his own brand of happy power metal with a new record titled M.E.T.A.L. It is clear that the German metalheads’ overproduced antics are not quite for everyone, however desperately they’d like them to be. But if you’re the kind of person who looks for a band that takes the mass appeal of pop and the character of metal music, does away ... read more

This is a varied record. It’s mostly electronic with a slight R’n’B slant here and there. I was hoping for a bit more of a synth vibe, and that’s present too on 3.0. Unfortunately, it rather feels like another thing the band is trying, instead of a defining characteristic. I suppose this record is more for those who value fat beats over intricate melodic arrangements. And almost across the board, the uninspired vocals make each song worse than if it was completely ... read more

June saw the Jonas Brothers make a shitty comeback with repetitive, inane pop. Now here come the Kaiser Chiefs to show those hacks how it’s done. It’s the same formula, except it’s being realized by competent musicians. Duck starts out a bit worrisome with a slightly obnoxious “People Know How To Love One Another”, but then transitions into a record that is great fun – perfectly pleasant pop. The album leaves a particularly good impression because it goes out ... read more

Power metal is often considered one of the more tame subgenres of metal. How offensive can a song about a unicorn or one based on The Lord of the Rings really be? In that light, Sabaton sounds like they might be on the more controversial side: They sing about history, actual warfare – not some fictional story but real deaths. They cover Spartan warriors and the Holocaust alike. And somehow, they have been finding the right balance between awing at the glory and shuddering at the terrors ... read more

At just 36 minutes, Order in Decline is an extremely short offering from the Canadian pop punk outfit. The length aids this record, though: It delivers exactly what you'd expect, but never goes beyond that. If the album was any longer, it would probably run the risk of sounding boring. But as it stands, the band delivers another enjoyable half hour with all the familiar elements that made Sum 41 popular in the early 2000s.
7/9

It's tough to talk about posthumous releases when they're not that great. TIM is a tender send-off, sure. But as an album it is uneven and it even drags in part. For fans of the iconic musician, this record should hit home pretty hard. For fans of electronic music, it might just about cut it. Everyone else might as well give TIM a pass and let Avicii rest in peace.
5/9

It's yet another autotune extravaganza from the 80s pop icon. And it's also yet another reason to call for the woman's retirement. What is she trying to do? Some of these songs sound like they're designed to be sing-along romps, except they have none of the charm or energy required to pull something like that off. It's always sad to see a musician that has had a defining influence on entire generations tread water – again and yet again.
4/9

The greatest asset of Bastille is Dan Smith's vocal style and this album is no different. While the pop band shines here and there with some delightful synth passages, the emotional performance of the front man makes up for the overall generic sound that Bastille's third studio album mostly purports.
7/9

Generic, uninspired, boring. That may not be unusual for the Jonas Brothers, but certainly not forgivable either. Every now and then, they find a catchy hook, only to repeat it over and over. And while I could tolerate that for the sake of a danceworthy cue, even these moments are let down by the fact that the band's lyrics are mindgratingly inane. All the fun is immediately sucked out of any well-combined musical notes, as rare as they already are. The best example and worst offender in this ... read more

This is a really fun load of pop rock. Royal Republic is a band that really capitalizes on a solid rythm – albeit occasionally to the point of overstaying its welcome. For most of Club Majesty, the guys hit home squarely. “Can’t Fight The Disco” in particular will make you want to dance. Or if it doesn’t, then perhaps this record and good music in general aren’t for you.
8/9

Another excellent entry from the German metalheads. The arrangements have a nice punch to them, the synth and keyboards give the music the flair that we’re used from Rammstein. Unfortunately, Till Lindemann’s vocals are as ridiculous as ever, distracting from what a banger this album is almost as much as the awful music videos. There are a few instances, such as “Puppe”, where the vocals really jive – but for the most part, Rammstein would be better as an ... read more

Vampire Weekend is a cute, soft thing. A fragile butterfly in the form of music. Too bad Father of the Bride is the equivalent of a plain white butterfly sitting in a spot for an hour without moving. The album gets boring pretty quickly, even though its charm is apparent from the first second.
5/9

Serves me right for trying melodic death metal. It’s not very good. This album in particular sounds almost computer-generated. There is nothing gripping about it and the genre-typical vocals sure don’t help me shake the feeling that the Swedish band are sticking to a strict formula for churning out crap. I expected this result, but wouldn’t it have been great to find some death metal that actually sounds good?
3/9

Age of Unreason is an excellent album to take on a road trip. Play it after you’ve gone through your collection of sing-along hits and would like a break. Bad Religion delivers a perfectly palatable record, full of the kind of b-tier pop rock that will make your head bop occasionally. The variance is low, the overall sound pretty okay.
6/9

Atmospheric synth pop is a bit of a gamble. It can pay off greatly, sure. But that’s not what happened in the case of Clean. These tracks are nice and inoffensive, perfect for someone with a mild hangover. But generic beats, drawn out notes and overly reverberated vocals will be sure to put you to sleep. And I get it, that’s what Hayden Casey is going for. It just doesn’t appeal to me.
3/9

I suppose one has to generally appreciate the charm of folk metal to enjoy anything Eluveitie does. If that prerequisite is a given, Ategnatos should do the trick for you. Obviously, the Swiss band is never going to reach the lofty heights of Nightwish as long as they’re squarely hitting those thrashy notes. But if that isn’t what the audience expects, albums like this one are going to provide a lovely distraction from the rut – albeit interrupted by growls that I could really ... read more

Weezer lied to me. You see, the first time I heard about the band was when they had released a song called “You Might Think”. It was a wonderful little song and I thought “these Weezer-guys, they’re pretty cool.” But then I went and listened to some of their other music and started to wonder, what is this bleached-out pop rock and where are the guys that made “You Might Think”? For quite a while I remained oblivious to the fact that Weezer merely ... read more

It is unclear what Avril Lavigne is trying to accomplish these days. Perhaps even Lavigne herself doesn't know. Head Above Water is remarkably inoffensive, a boring blur. There is nothing edgy, beautiful or distinctive about it. It's just another sickly record with a generic sound both in composition and vocals. If her "voice becomes the driving force", as she proudly proclaims on the title track, then Avril Lavigne has no drive to speak of. The record is not bad, but no one really ... read more

When Busted came back with Night Driver in 2016, most reviewers noted the stark departure from the band's pop rock roots. While it was an interesting experiment, I for one am glad that they returned to a more familiar sound with Half Way There. It's what the boys do best, after all  – the self-referential lyrics are a plus. "Shipwrecked in Atlantis", a sequel to Busted's own classic "Air Hostess", is particularly fun. While not every track hits home, there's ... read more

The Eighth Mountain is a classic power metal offering that has its moments when it treads familiar ground. Giacomo Voli's voice doesn't mesh particularly well with the rest of the band, especially considering that this album features narration by the late Christopher Lee. While Lee is a staple for the band, Voli almost feels a little bit out of place. Still, The Eighth Mountain is a perfectly palatable power metal effort that simply won't linger in the memories of music fans as much as some of ... read more