I became familiar of UK metallers ROGUE AWAKENING last year, reeled in by the atmospherics and the theatrical nature of their performances. You can understand my excitement then, when the band's latest release, "Take My Pleasure", came my way.

A Paramore drummer, a producer of In This Moment, and Renee Phoenix walk into a bar. Out comes CUDDLE DEATH, a new pop punk band built on fun, chaos, and everything in between.

I don't know if it's being in my own power metal band or sinking way too much time into Baldur's Gate 3, but I've grown incredibly fond of the fantastical side of metal over the past year or so. It's hardly a surprise then that I found myself drawn to THAUMBLAST. After all, who doesn't love a bit of wizard metal?

Plymouth based WAR SHEPHERD [photo: War Shepherd] Hailing from Plymouth, WAR SHEPHERD describe themselves as delivering a "modern strain" of melodic death metal. Think heavy riffs, blasting rhythms, sweeping orchestration. All of which I've got a big ol' soft spot for. The band's latest EP, "Shattered Thrones Part 1: The Red Pages", takes all of this and packages it in a really strong burst of musical storytelling, all wrapped up before the 20 minute mark. Straight away, I'm

"The End of Everything" is out now [photo: Ziggy Waldron] I first came across ZIGGY WALDRON through their band Spineless - they were among many review submissions that came my way last year, and I was also able to catch them live at Rampage 1.5 in Kings Lynn. More recently, Ziggy reached out to me regarding their solo EP, self released in December. Whilst not entirely the same, the release is a great listen, highlighting Ziggy's work as a musician and making that wait for new

[photo: JulianGK] Blending high energy with toe-tappingly catchy riffs, JULIANGK is carving out his own space in the music scene. Born in Costa Rica, Julian spent time with bands throughout LA and across the United States, moving to London afterwards. 2024 marked the debut of Julian's solo project, which carries on into the new year with his latest single, "Waves of Change". The single marks the first tease of Julian's upcoming 2026 releases, signaling a bolder, stronger dire