Rambling Man's Reviews

 Australian Punk band Cousin Betty returns with an explosive new single "Taxes and Death" on January 10th, taken from their upcoming debut LP, The band have been riding high with the releases of their two EP'S, Left and Overs. 'TAXES & DEATH' is based on President Benjamin Franklin's famous quote and sees the band venting their frustrations at selfish record labels. Cousin Betty was formed by renowned guitarist and songwriter, Damien Stofka Stofka formed the band after seeking inspiration from The  Desert Sessions. The guitarist seemed disillusioned with being part of a standard band, so he decided to spend his downtime compiling albums worth of material with contributing artists and performers he liked. 'Taxes and Death' is a rousing track, clocking in after one and a half minutes. The guitar-driven song is punchy and aggressive. The band shouts over sharp riffs and pummeling drums. This feels like a punk anthem for the reality we find ourselves i...

Rising female-fronted Rock act Smoking Martha  has released their sophomore effort, Universe , a follow-up to 2017's widely received debut 'In Deep'. The album features the band's diverse sound, combining pop vocal choruses with blistering riffs and infectious hooks over 12 tracks. Smoking Martha, fronted by the charismatic charms of Natasha Doherty, hails from Brisbane, Australia. The quartet has steadily forged a strong cult following with notable support slots with some of rock's recognisable acts, such as Thunder, Uriah Heep and Saliva. The band have also made regular appearances at local festivals in their native Australia, including an appearance at Hard Rock Hell in 2018 in England. The LP was produced by Matt Bartlem and Luke Palmer ( Dead Letter Circus ), and recorded at Studio Circus in Queensland, Australia. The LP starts with the thunderous drum intro of "Good Girls". Doherty's distinctive rich vocals sound similar to No Doubt's G...

  Stockholm-based alt-rockers AD MELIORA returns with the premiere of the video to the new single "No Yellow Bricks." It is the first track since this year's debut EP The Void, The Time, The Path. 'No Yellow Bricks' is a melodic rock song about struggling to overcome doubt and depression to achieve one's personal goals. The quartet consists of experienced musicians from Spain, Italy and The Canary Islands. Ad Meliora combines alternative rock with math-rock elements and melodious passages. The song opens with an alternate finger-picking guitar style that erupts explosively into a distorted riff. This repetition of the riff builds throughout the first verse, slowing towards the bridge. The tempo slows in between verses, as lead vocalist Paolo sings in a reflective tone. The passages are intricate and mellow, as the tempo builds to a climax. The song finishes with a return to the heavy riff that greeted the start of the track, which identifies vocalist Paolo Ala...

  Horror rock quartet EB &THE DEADLIGHTS unleash hell on their much-anticipated debut EP Still See Ghosts. The ghoulish Irishmen hail from Belfast, Northern Ireland, consisting of lead vocalist Ethan Beattie, rhythm guitarist Matt McCabe, drummer Alex Williams and keyboardist/lead guitarist Andy McCarney. The band's mix of punk, razor-sharp riffs and contagious choruses all stems from their influences, including Murderdolls, Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper. The album is five tracks long, clocking in at roughly under 20 minutes. The EP begins with the abrasive "Nightmare Of Reality", a raging two-minute blast of harsh aggressive vocals, frenetic guitars, and enough rawness to start things off. Next up is "Heathen of The Mind", a full-throttle blast of raw anger and angst. The song's groovy riffs, pummeling drums, and a cross between feral screams and clean vocals make this the standout track on the EP. The Deadlights play music on their sleeves with an experi...

Australian Multi-Instrumentalist Aquilus AKA Mr Horace Rosenqvist returns with the first of a two-part opus entitled Bellum-I  via Blood Music Records. The 62-minute eight-track release is heavily influenced by dark, atmospheric metal, European folk and classical music. It is rare to feature such a record on the Rambling Man's pages, but this album has an overall sense of something epic emerging here. The musician hails from Melbourne, Australia and features several musicians on this album. 'Bellum- I' opts to feature some traditional instruments such as acoustic guitars. piano, violins, mandolas, balalaika, mandolins, banjos, gusli, bow psaltery, and fipple flutes. Aquilas first came to prominence ten years ago with his debut album, 'Griseus'. which was preceded by a series of demos released in the 2000s. ' Bellum-I ' brings together eight tracks of melodious symphonies, harrowing vocals and an ethereal adventure all to your stereos. The sombre tinkles of t...

Bath-based Independent Record Label Pale Wizard Records present a tribute to Alice Cooper's 1971 album ' Killer' . The shock rocker's fourth studio album proved to be an influential one on many successors because it proved to be a turning point for the band. 'Killer' was a statement of intent to the critics hung up on the band's theatrics and make-up. The English based record label was formed in 2007 by friends Tim Hilleard and Dan Flitcroft. The duo picked eight of their best acts to sing on the album, including a cameo by Dan Flitcroft's Sergeant Thunderhoof. They wanted to pay a special tribute to their favourite artist, so they thought it would be a good opportunity with 'Killer'. The album was originally released on November 27th,1971. Killer: 50 years later...  features some upcoming acts from the world of hard rock, psychedelia, and the stoner underground putting their own spin on this legendary album. London's Psychedelic Green Lung ...