Distorted Sound’s Top 20 Albums of 2024

Well, 2024, you’ve been a year. Although events around the globe have made navigating this year a massive challenge, as per usual, we can always find solace in music and this year, we’ve been treated to countless albums of utter brilliance. Narrowing down the quality of this year to just 20 releases is a mammoth task, and after much deliberation and debate amongst the Distorted Sound team, here we go: our Top 20 albums of 2024!



20. Scotland’s Hardcore – DESPIZE

If you have been yearning for an authentic hardcore release this year, DESPIZE have had you covered with their release Scotland’s Hardcore. An utterly bombastic, mountainous wall of sound that blazes seamlessly through from one song to the next from the groove of Sniper, to the industrial edge of Setting Up. DESPIZE are a band that play true to the genre, while also being more than happy to experiment with a variety of approaches.

As expected, DESPIZE throw everything at you in dense, destructive chunks and this collection of songs works perfectly. A slab of classic, heavy hitting hardcore, there’s plenty of tasty breakdowns and deranged moments to enjoy from start to finish. Frayed and rough enough to feel authentic, but super well mixed and put together as a record, Scotland’s Hardcore is a meaty beast that has more than earned DESPIZE on this list.

19. What’s Left Unsaid – FOREIGN HANDS

When you release your debut full-length you need to make sure you make your mark. Frenetic metalcore merchants FOREIGN HANDS understood the brief and came out all guns blazing with What’s Left Unsaid. Melding energetic, hardcore-infused hooks with uplifting melodies in impressive fashion, the quintet proudly wear their inspirations on their sleeves but not without injecting their own explosive, energetic vigour into the mix.

Having recently left the UK and Europe in ruins in support of GUILT TRIP and due to kick off 2025 with a hefty American tour alongside heavy hitters COUNTERPARTS, PAIN OF TRUTH and MALEVOLENCE, it is safe to say FOREIGN HANDS have no intention to take the foot off the pedal.

18. Prelude To Ecstasy – THE LAST DINNER PARTY

Coming in hot at the beginning of the year, THE LAST DINNER PARTY undoubtedly bounced into the world with a true zest for life. Having been one of the worst kept secrets in the scene since starting out, their debut Prelude To Ecstasy has been the breathe of fresh air we’ve all needed.

Hypnotic, energetic there’s something of FLEETWOOD MAC, KATE BUSH or even ABBA’s utter gay abandon for making proper glossy hits. From the euphoric Sinner to Caesar On A TV Screen, there’s a tapestry of talent woven into each song. Being so cinematic, the short film released alongside the record sits has a nostalgic feel of an off kilter indie movie from the seventies. Regardless of whether you chose to experience the album with its visual accompaniment or not, the record has a charm that instantly captivates.

17. Cool World – CHAT PILE

CHAT PILE’s debut, God’s Country, was a scathing look at their world, a microcosm of the horrors wrought in their area. Its follow-up, Cool World, expands that view to, as the name hints, the rest of the world. A wide-angle, panoramic view of suffering rather than the laser focus of before means that some of the earlier ferocity is lost, but never any of the unease or unsettling lyrical content.

Raygun Busch still sounds like a mad preacher, ranting and raving over colossal, often nu metal inspired riffs and bass lines. Odd musical bedfellows, but ones CHAT PILE have alchemised into something riveting; their unflinching depictions of human suffering or oddball lyrics (I Am Dog Now’s chorus) are part and parcel of their fascinating brand of sludge that draws on industrial and nu metal with horror stories made all the more awful because they’re real.

16. A Frame Of Mind – KALANDRA

In their relatively short tenure, KALANDRA have already captivated countless hearts of listeners around the world. Meticulously blending ethereal instrumentation with soothing vocal sequences that are crammed full of relatable subject matter makes it effortless to fall head over heels with their beautiful creations.

A Frame Of Mind tugs on your heart strings and encourages you to dig deeper, uncovering the introspective sentiments scattered throughout by the brilliant Katrine Stenbekk. This release also sees the fearless Norweigian collective venture into new, inventive territories which creates an air of excitement for their future works.

15. Moon Healer – JOB FOR A COWBOY

Back in 2014, JOB FOR A COWBOY transformed from a deathcore frontrunner to a progressive metal marvel with the release of the critically acclaimed Sun Eater. At the peak of their powers they seemingly faded into the shadows, leaving many to wonder whether this was the end.

It may have taken a decade but their triumphant return in the form of Moon Healer set them firmly back on top of the pack where they rightfully belong. Combining the eccentric but fascinating stylings of its predecessor, this monumental effort pushed their creative boundaries even further, providing their existing fan base with a stellar collection of tracks as well as firmly dropkicking the door off its hinges and allowing a whole new host of fans to climb aboard for the ride.

14. The Nothing That Is – FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY

Monstrous deathcore outfit FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY have become an unstoppable force with each passing release. The Nothing That Is continues their path of destruction with huge, stomping riffs, a sea of adrenaline fuelled lyricism and a continuous flow of intensity throughout.

With the masterful skillset of Will Putney at the helm, their swift ascent has been of little surprise but FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY feel more refined, focused and devastating than ever before. Anyone who was lucky enough to witness their recent headline tour will have experienced this first hand. We foresee 2025 being another blockbuster year for one of the most consistent bands on the circuit.

13. Coup de Grâce – SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY

Piano? Saxophone? Lounge jazz? Fear not, SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY haven’t abandoned their roots, just evolved and written an album about the end of the world. Coup de Grâce might open with a serene intro including iRIS.EXE but they’re swiftly back to their hip-swinging sasscore best with Subtle Whispers To Take Your Breath Away as vocalist Connie Sgarbossa snarls her way through and the halftime chorus guarantees crowdsurfers at their famously riotous shows.

The biggest leap on Coup de Grâce is that in embracing the concept album, there’s far more theatricality and flair than ever before; from Lubricant Like Kerosene’s ludicrously catchy chorus to the Courtney LaPlante-featuring To The Dance Floor For Shelter, SEEYOUSPACECOWBOY embrace melodicism and theatrics like never before. It may not be as chaotic as earlier work, but it’s far more cohesive and – dare we say it – accessible, without sacrificing their “sasscore” identity or sound, instead expanding it into incredibly fun new territories.

12. All You Embrace – ONE STEP CLOSER

The sophomore album can be challenging for many bands, but with All You Embrace, ONE STEP CLOSER deliver a masterclass on how to tackle growing pains. The Pennsylvania melodic hardcore group approach the album with confidence not only in their foundations, but with a willingness to approach change in their own way.

On All You Embrace, ONE STEP CLOSER push their sound to encompass a myriad of genres and influences adjacent to hardcore and emo. In leaning into this eclecticism, they create a unique blend of emotionally wrought melodies and energetic riffs to explore identity and insecurity in a strikingly raw and candid way. All You Embrace is an exciting evolution for ONE STEP CLOSER, and one that finds the band laying insecurities bare, weaving various genres into their emotional candour and dynamic hooks to pave a new path for what melodic hardcore can be.

11. Erosion/Avulsion – HIDDEN MOTHERS

It’s been a year for absolute belting debuts, and HIDDEN MOTHERS’ Erosion/Avulsion has set the standard for creative post music. From the post-hardcore Defanged and Violet Sun to the groove of Death Curl, the progressive-hardcore adjacent The Grey, there’s such a huge colour pallet through heavy music through this record.

The way this record manages to turn from soft, almost gentle moments, to heart wrenching and gut punching, is nothing short of superb. Each song has a vast span of ideas to enjoy; earnest arrangements to utterly devastating vocals, it’s all filled with a throughline of considerate songwriting and attention to melodic detail. The work put into making Erosion/Avulsion an experience for the emotional core of the listener is nothing less than staggering. As a debut for the deep breadth of HIDDEN MOTHERS scope, Erosion/Avulsion just demonstrates their unlimited potential.

10. Spiral In A Straight Line – TOUCHÉ AMORÉ

Six albums into their career, TOUCHÉ AMORÉ show no signs of slowing down on 2024’s Spiral In A Straight Line. The post-hardcore group reckon with loss, anguish, and despondency, tying them all together in their most cohesive album to date. On Spiral In A Straight Line, TOUCHÉ AMORÉ harness a particularly haunting energy that sticks with you long after you listen to it.

Balancing razor-sharp lyricism between cathartic crescendos and sorrowful instrumentals, Spiral In A Straight Line finds TOUCHÉ AMORÉ weaving emotional currents throughout every moment of the album. Collaborations from Lou Barlow and Julien Baker compliment and further heighten the album’s melancholic and moving undercurrent. It is exactly what TOUCHÉ AMORÉ do best: enrapturing anthemic moments that still feel rooted in vulnerability. Spiral In A Straight Line offers a brilliantly gut-wrenching album that pierces you through the heart and lingers there unflinchingly.

9. Breathing Through The Wound – SPLITKNUCKLE

Another DAZE entrant on our list is Essex’s SPLITKNUCKLE and their (also debut) album Breathing Through The Wound. They’ve been lurking around the UK hardcore scene for some time now, amassing a dedicated underground following with incendiary live shows and the kind of H8000/death metal-worshipping hardcore that’s the aural equivalent of a brawl in an alley.

Breathing Through The Wound ups the ante on everything they’ve done before, clocking in at a (relatively) swollen 40 minutes. But it’s 40 minutes of brutality and more than justifies its length in a scene famous for shorter releases. Opener Fuck Your Whole Life is a knuckleduster straight to the gut, chugging, two-step riffs and gunshot cracks for a snare drum. It’s hard, it’s obnoxious and it’s so very, very good; SPLITKNUCKLE bring the violence and the death metal for a debut that continues both DAZE’s and UKHC’s proud tradition of being all killer.

8. Coma – GAEREA

Having graced our coveted list back in 2022 with the astonishing Mirage, masked Portuguese collective GAEREA have been one of the brightest lights in the world of black metal. Performing a career defining set at this year’s black metal bonanza, Fortress Festival, in May only whet the anticipation for fourth full-length record Coma. Released in October, Coma took the foundations of the band’s stellar previous releases (namely 2022’s Mirage and 2020’s Limbo) whilst pushing their soundscape to new and fragile new places.

Album opener The Poet’s Ballet is ballsy in the sense that GAEREA are showing their most fragile and delicate state right from the get go, but by God, it works ever so well to build for a release of unbridled black metal fury that would hit similar readings to a detonation of an atomic bomb. From there, GAEREA proceed to engulf you into their vortex through the likes World Ablaze and Hope Shatters, whilst Wilted Flower encapsulates feelings of reflection and triumph. Put simply, Coma is an astonishing record from a band that looks set to become behemoths of black metal.

7. Artillery From Heaven – CONTENTION

CONTENTION aren’t here to fuck about. This year’s debut album, Artillery From Heaven, is a 10-song, 20-minute blast of violent metallic hardcore that goes for the jugular near immediately and doesn’t let up. Opening on Contention and a barrel-chested fight riff before accelerating, it’s fist-swinging hardcore of the best kind. There’s no frills, no genre-bending experimentation, just hard as nails metallic hardcore.

There’s nothing basic about Artillery From Heaven, though. Its guitar tone is reminiscent of the early 2000s in the best way, a buzzing, slicing racket that’s undeniable and demands movement in the pits it will no doubt incite. That it dropped on DAZE – one of the best US hardcore labels running – only underscores its quality. Straight edge hardcore has been resurgent lately and CONTENTION are one of its brightest new bands; an album packed with riffs this tough, dive bombs and sheer aural violence can’t be ignored.

6. Voidkind – DVNE

With their third album Voidkind, Scottish progressive post metallers DVNE delivered a gargantuan, science fiction epic that tightened up some of the excesses of its predecessor Etemen Æenka without sacrificing any of their chops. A deliberately more focused album, but still with an eons-spanning concept about a group eerily similar to Dune’s Bene Gesserit and the lengths man will go to for godhood, Voidkind barrels into being with Summa Blasphemia with its churning guitars, DVNE’s penchant for towering riffs and melodies on full display.

From there, the Scots go on a near-hour long journey through the cosmos, Eleonora offering tumultuous prog while Sarmatæ narrates a great marching of beasts across planets. It all culminates in the sprawling ten minute Cobalt Sun Necropolis, that takes all the various elements DVNE have played with over the entirety of Voidkind while also hinting at some of the sonic journeys to come.

5. Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell – HERIOT

It’s without doubt that HERIOT have had one hell of a year. As ever they’ve played and been booked at every major festival or tour, and their presence as ones to watch has been surging towards this debut release. And by god, what a debut Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell has been. What HERIOT delivered was a record brimming with rabid brutality, infested with malevolent textures and overall battering the senses with apocalyptically good industrial hardcore.

With so many genre-defying tendencies, Devoured By The Mouth Of Hell is such a well crafted journey, rightly bringing in acclaim from old and new listeners. The doom and ambience of Jake Packer’s bass with Julian Gage’s textures in his leadwork are delicious, not to mention the consonantly on point drums of Erhan Alman. Likewise, Debbie Gough and Packer deliver the most hair-raising vocals and bludgeoning rhythms, especially on modern classics like At The Fortress Gate. You’d be hard pressed to find another album this year that makes you want to stank face so hard the entire way through.

4. Only One Mode – SPEED

Possibly one of the most anticipated releases of the year, SPEED’s debut album Only One Mode lived up to its expectations and more. The Sydney hardcore band bring dynamism, energy and charisma to their sound, and their debut album is a testament to why SPEED are one of the most exciting hardcore bands around right now.
Each track on Only One Mode propels you through the album with an unwavering power.

Moving between fierce gang vocals, gritty breakdowns and stomach-churning riffs, SPEED leave it all on the table. Within this, they also strike a balance with their honesty. Their playful weaving of their bands name throughout lyrics is equally met with tracks that reflect on marginalisation, inclusivity and empowerment. SPEED are unapologetically authentic, and it is with this enthusiasm, and insanely dynamic hardcore style that Only One Mode is one of the best hardcore releases of the year.

3. Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran – LOWEN

Having first turned heads back in 2018 with debut A Crypt In The Stars, London-based LOWEN have been forging their own place within the UK’s buoyant heavy music scene thanks to their crushing doom fused with the rich history of the ancient Middle East, particularly their homeland of Iran.

Backed by the ever impressive Church Road Records, the band’s second album – Do Not Go To War With the Demons Of Mazandaran – takes what was special about 2018’s debut and elevates the LOWEN soundscape to staggering new heights. Najang Bah Divhayeh Mazandaran is as atmospheric as it is heavy, whereas the likes of Waging War Against God and Ghazal For The Embrace Of Fire twist and turn with hypnotic glee. It’s a thoroughly poignant record and one that cements LOWEN as one of the most intriguing bands in heavy music in 2024.

2. Absolute Elsewhere – BLOOD INCANTATION

Having taken extreme music by storm with 2016’s Starspawn, BLOOD INCANTATION cemented their reputation as one of death metal’s most forward-thinking and important names in 2019 with the staggering Hidden History Of The Human Race. Five years later and Absolute Elsewhere sees BLOOD INCANTATION firing on all cylinders.

Comprised of two sprawling epics – The Stargate and The Message – Absolute Elsewhere sees the band double down on their expansive sprawling progressive death metal with ample ambience drawn from their experimental Timewave Zero record and the result is one of the most visceral, atmospheric and thoroughly engaging listening experiences you’ll find in 2024. Death metal is in rude health with the ongoing revival showing no signs of slowing down. BLOOD INCANTATION are leaders of the pack.

1. You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To – KNOCKED LOOSE

It would be near impossible to talk about the last year in heavy music without KNOCKED LOOSE entering the conversation. 2024 has seen the band bring the scene to new levels, from their appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel show to their Grammy nomination, and all with their third album You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To leading the charge.

The album is intense, visceral, and larger than life, whilst also remaining faithful to KNOCKED LOOSE’s sonic precision and lyrical sharpness. Each song stops you in your tracks, commanding brutal breakdowns and piercing riffs to ensure that for the brief 27-minute run time, you are entirely in their world. Collaborations with POPPY and MOTIONLESS see varying influences across metalcore weaving in with their sound, and offering some truly exciting and unexpected moments on the album.

Staking their claim as titans not only of heavy music, but of the modern music landscape, KNOCKED LOOSE deliver a truly captivating, and unmissable album with You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. It’s a once in a generation album, and one that is sure to leave its mark on heavy music for a long time. There would be nothing more fitting for our top spot.

Words: James Weaver, Laura McCarthy, Will Marshall, Dan McHugh, Sammy Andrews

And that rounds off our Top 20 Albums for 2024! It’s been a staggeringly good year for new heavy music and we can’t wait to see what is in store in 2025. Thank you for your continued support. Check out our digital magazines via our store or if you want to support DS, you can subscribe to our Patreon here. See you down the front!

INTRODUCING: Lowen

As we approach the denouement of 2024, when music critics are frantically working on their Album Of The Year lists, one thing is for certain: You’re bound to see Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran, the new offering from LOWEN, make an appearance on more than a few metal journo’s lists. An incredible piece of work that combines BOLT THROWER style riffs with Middle Eastern folklore, political rage, and the jaw dropping powerful pipes of vocalist Nina Saeidi, it has turned more than a few heads since its release in October.



One of the most remarkable things about Demons… is just how much of a step up it is from their 2018 debut, A Crypt In The Stars. While there were glimpses of the band’s vision and talent on that record, the leaps forward they’ve made in their songwriting, performance and production are nothing short of remarkable. Nina and her co-writer Shem Lucas have clearly been hard at work in the intervening years. Recruiting a new drummer, Cal Constantine to bring a thunderous backbeat to the band was just the start of it.

“A lot of stuff happened,” Nina confirms. “When me and Shem started the band I wanted to be distinctly Middle Eastern but taking those ideas and expressing them in a way you hear them in your head is not an easy thing to do when you’re just starting out and finding your feet as a musician. It took us years of study. We worked with ethnomusical archaeologists and I did courses in microtonal singing. It’s a constant work in progress and we’re still studying and improving.”

While their debut was very much in the slow and brooding doom metal oeuvre, the way LOWEN have introduced death metal elements in Shem’s intricate riffing and Cal’s frantic drumming have injected an irresistible vitality to LOWEN’s sound. It’s something that Nina was keen on. “I think death metal is one of those genres where when you mix it with another genre of music it really works. A lot of death metal bands already have a middle eastern influence and I really wanted to highlight that by having an authentic Middle Eastern voice in there.”

And authentic it is. Nina is of Iranian heritage, having been born in exile after her parents fled the 1979 revolution that led to an oppressive religious regime taking power. She finds herself a complex dichotomy of having a deep and personal connection to a place she may never get to visit.


“It’s heartbreaking, honestly. During the writing of the album, my grandmother was at the end of her life, and I had a lot of conversations with her while she was literally on her deathbed, and she was like, ‘when are you going to come and see me?’ It’s such a difficult thing to experience. I could get on a plane and just go and see her, but I would be arrested at the airport. I’d get executed. And I remember growing up like I’d be talking to my grandparents and aunts and uncles, and you’d literally hear the phone tapping as your your conversations are being listened to. So yeah it’s a huge part of my identity that I’ve never been able to fully connect with.”

Unable to visit her homeland, instead she found connection through the country’s rich cultural and literary heritage, most notably the epic poem Shahnameh, or, The Book of Kings, a section of which became the title of the new LOWEN album.

Nina laughs at the suggestion that writing the album must have been like studying for a PhD. “It’s funny you should say that as I’m a PhD drop out. Maybe this album is my thesis! But yeah I was searching for a point to start writing and exploring from and I was reading the Shahnameh because it has so much mythology and the foundational myths of Iran in it. I wasn’t even halfway through and I found the chapter Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran. And I was like, ‘this is amazing’. I told the story to Shem, and he was like, ‘that’s going to be the album title!’ It was the perfect springboard for exploring the rest of the album’s themes.”

Those themes are as heavy as the music through which it is expressed. Through the poetry and mythology, Nina explores weighty topics such as oppression, especially of women, with all her rage expressed through a powerful vocal performance that uses the heart wrenchingly expressive singing style Tahir, rather than the death growls one would usually associate with the style of music from LOWEN. “I think sometimes it’s a lot scarier when you hear anger that’s not expressed as a shout or a word or like a screen, I think you know, like when you get in trouble at school, and like the teacher, instead of shouting at you, talks really quietly.”

To be able to express herself in such an articulate and powerful way took a lot of work. When starting LOWEN, she didn’t even see herself as a singer. “I’ve worked with quite a range of vocal teachers. I worked a lot with someone called Lila de Souza in Hertfordshire. I did some vocal training with a woman that does a lot of people in the West End. She was really Christian though and when she realised what the lyrics were about, she dropped me. We also worked with this amazing musician called Saeid Kordmafi, who collects old folk music from specific towns in Iran and is pitch perfect on a microtonal level.”

If studying epic poems and learning microtonal singing wasn’t enough, Nina also taught herself to play exotic instruments such as the Santur, or hammered dulcimer, a 56 stringed cousin of the guitar, which she used to add further depth to the rich sonic tapestry on Demons… “I had that hand made for me in Iran and it was smuggled across international borders. Not in a super illegal way but you can’t just buy them in the UK at that quality anyway.”

With this level of dedication, passion, and sheer devotion on an artistic and human level it’s no surprise that LOWEN are making such waves across the UK underground metal scene at the moment, and will surely continue to do so for years to come.

Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran is out now via Church Road Records.

Like LOWEN on Facebook.

WHITE TOWER - NIGHT HUNTERS

Been two years since the Teutonic-minded Greeks released a highly enjoyable debut. While their musical geography hasn't changed, the intensity of the delivery has multiplied, adding a thrashy consistency to the old Accept (circa Restless & Wild) template. Cranking and dive bombing guitar runs scream from the speakers, on the introductory "Total Evil" (which follows a 93 second "Blood" sound effect).

Guess they wanted to show off the upgraded (and totally new) guitar tandem, right away! The title track follows, another hot blast of hyper riffs. Subtlety, thy name is not White Tower...everything about the presentation (including the occasional high pitched yelp: see "Knife In The Back") is OTT.

Somehow, the aggressive, no-holds-barred, borderline thrash construct recalls the early mentality of the ‘80s underground and sub-genre defying speed metal of Savage Grace, in particular. "Banshee" possesses more melody than its sequential neighbors and despite the title, never unleashes its namesake vocal inflection.

CAUSTIC - SCENE OF A CRIME

Debut album from Argentine speed metallers, whose '21 Arrowfire demo impressed these ears. No hold-overs from that initial foray (which featured a cover of Venom's "Witching Hour"). Nothing here approaches that, just nine new compositions of an old school variety, with occasional falsetto vocal accents (as on opening "Riding Tonite"). The English vocals are heavily accented and at speed, sometimes a little difficult to differentiate (even under headphones). No matter, it's the music that matters most.

That said, mid-tempo "Sweet Prisoner" possesses more groove than is usually associated with so-called speed metal. Think maybe an Atlantic-era Raven outtake, although it does get a little "messy" towards its conclusion. Back to the beat with "Lethal Force", a pre-release single. "Road Rage" at least has some rage to it, both in terms of vocal and musical delivery, while "Take Myself" once again opts for slower, more melodic territory. Not bad, just a bit too far afield of the speed metal signpost.

"F.A.D.S.A.N.", which, according to the lyrics, stands for "fighting all day surviving all night" has more urgency and a catchy hook. More frenetic, with chaotic, high pitched vocals, "Kick Your Teacher" rides a shuffling bass line and dissonant guitars. "Made Out Of Lies" barrels down the highway, right out of the gates, but briefly slows to a stroll, midway through the journey, only to finish as it began. Closing "Cold Metal Night" is the most musically muscular cut: plenty of guitars.

TODAY IN METAL HISTORY 🤘 DECEMBER 21ST, 2024🤘 FRANK ZAPPA, INTO ETERNITY, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, THE WHO

TALENT WE LOST

R.I.P. FRANK Vincent ZAPPA: December 21st, 1940 - December 4th, 1993 (aged 52)




R.I.P. Robert “Rob” Doherty (INTO ETERNITY, FINAL DARKNESS) - December 21st, 1970 - May 4th, 2012 (aged 41)

INTRODUCING: Giant Walker

GIANT WALKER have been one to watch for a while now, after their debut record All In Good Time. With the meteoric rise of their second album Silhouettes, we caught up with drummer Alex Black about the surprise inspirations, and the ease of writing.



From the first moment, Silhouettes pulls you in with a groove that perhaps more soul than you would normally merit to a progressive sound. That’s the reason GIANT WALKER blow it out of the park for being such an exciting band to add a different dynamic to the music world. Songs like Round And Round We Go and Time To Waste have spades of feel and swing to them that you don’t normally associate with big proggy sounds.

“To be honest with you, that one, that one came together really, really quick from what I remember,” he recalls about Time To Waste. “It’s heavily, heavily, heavily inspired by a GARY CLARK JR tune called Bright Lights, the drum groove in that it’s just amazing. It’s got this, like, swung, swung groove all the way through. We all love that track, and we’ve all listened to a lot, and I’m like, ‘I wish we could have something at that similar tempo; It’s just got such a nice backbeat, you can just follow it really well. And I remember Jamie‘s criteria for it was, ‘I just want to write the sludgiest, grooviest riff where the drums just sit in that kind of groove. So well, yeah, very heavily inspired by GARY CLARK JR.”

“Yeah, no, it’s the kind of writing process and stuff is been, you know, it really organic,” Alex explains about the album coming together. “And it never ever felt forced at all, which was just obviously the best position to be in when you write music. It never felt like we’re banging our heads against a brick wall. Obviously, there was some ideas that took longer than others, some arrangement ideas, things that were talked over. It very, very easy this time around which was nice.”


There’s a heart of connection in GIANT WALKER that blooms into these massive songs. While each member, from the glorious vocals to the riffs and melodies, all prioritise what the song needs, it’s evident they are all coming from the same places creatively when making music. “Well, for starters, Jamie‘s really, really good at bouncing ideas off as well,” Alex tells us about their writing. “He’s secretly a drummer, like he plays guitar, but he’s got a drummer’s mind which is awesome just to collaborate with him and bounce ideas back and forth. I can tell when he likes something and I can tell when he doesn’t, you know? So, it’s we always kind of a gauge what direction to go.”

“Collaborating especially with Jamie, me and him have been playing for a long time together. We kind of give and take from each other, we know what each other’s going to do in that respect. But from a drum perspective, I always try and try and do as much as I can get away with without it being, you know, totally over the top.”

GIANT WALKER’s latest release plays around with huge soundscapes, bold groves and almost psychedelic. Part of that hypnotic element comes from the way the band are able to blend through ideas with rhythm as a corner stone of the way the songs are constructed. “I always kind of enjoy – even if it’s just something subtle – linking up with a vocal hook, or guitar stab or something like that, it just makes it a little bit more interesting, I guess. Plus, I always love to link up in terms of syncopation and rhythmically as well,” Alex agrees. “I really enjoy doing that sort of stuff, and it just makes it kind of more fun to play live as well, if you’re all kind of locked in and you’re all playing a similar rhythm or upbeat or something.”

GIANT WALKER have such a way with capturing a feel and a story that they’ve immediately made a huge impact in the scene. With their first record turning heads, there’s been a lot anticipation of their second release Silhouettes. The coherency of the record also comes from a streamlining of how the band are able to work away from each other. The ability to be clear with their ideas separately before honing in on them as a group is seemingly the most contemporary way of generating the right sound for modern bands. When asked how that process actually starts, Alex notes how simple it really is.

“So, I’d say 99% of the tracks either start with kind of riff or hook. In the last two years since doing the first album I’ve been able to have kind of more of a setup at home where I can track acoustic drums, which is awesome. I was sending Jamie a lot of the ideas that I’ve recorded, and then he would try and write something to that, and vice versa, that’s the process that we’ve used for a while […] Rather than be all on top of each other in a room trying to get ideas across. We literally do everything remotely now which is pretty cool, and it works well for us.”

Silhouettes is out now via Church Road Records.

Like GIANT WALKER on Facebook.

ALBUM REVIEW: XX Years Of Steel – Nanowar Of Steel

On their expansive, multi-decade spanning career retrospective Italian parody rockers NANOWAR OF STEEL prove that, despite their solid musicianship, brevity still remains the soul of wit. Founded in Rome in 2003, five-piece NANOWAR OF STEEL take aim at power metal acts such as MANOWAR and classic metal greats like IRON MAIDEN with galloping riffs and tongue-in-cheek lyrics in both English and their native Italian. Recorded live during a sold-out show at the 3000 capacity Alcatraz in Milan, XX Years Of Steel takes the listener on a thirty seven track, two and a half hour long, self-indulgent journey through their twenty year history which struggles to justify such an extravagant length.



While parody metal has managed to find an audience with bands like TENACIOUS D and STEEL PANTHER making their impact on the mainstream, XX Years Of Steel stands out as exhaustingly unfunny, dragging one-note jokes out into songs that last far longer than any novelty. After a brief introduction in Italian the band launch into their first full track Sober which sees the members of NANOWAR OF STEEL take on the guise of pirates who, rather than throwing back mugs of grog, prefer to stay sober and drink milkshakes or mineral water, a premise with maybe a minute’s worth of comedy potential that’s stretched out to over four minutes of energetic shouting. While dedicated fans may enjoy a live career retrospective such as this, XX Years Of Steel spends its two and a half hour runtime fighting an uphill battle to find an audience outside of the crowd present for the album’s recording.

Props have to be given to NANOWAR OF STEEL for their appropriately solid musical chops, delivering chugging riffs and scorching leads against a backdrop of thunderous rhythms. If not for its tiresome and unfunny lyrics the track Tricycles Of Steel could pass itself off as a rejected JUDAS PRIEST B-side with suitably grandiose guitar solos and wacky percussion bouncing off dual vocalists Carlo Alberto Fiaschi and Raffaello Venditti’s falsetto leads. While XX Years Of Steel shoots for the lowest hanging fruit comedically, NANOWAR OF STEEL’s musical competence at least softens the blow when their jokes fail to land.


While the first twenty eight tracks of XX Years Of Steel cover NANOWAR OF STEEL’s extensive back catalogue through energetic live recordings, the final nine bonus tracks are brand new studio recordings with a few covers, a couple of originals and some hits re-recorded with special guests. As a career retrospective this bonus CD sums up NANOWAR OF STEEL far better than the previous two hours of live hits despite sharing the same bland, toothless comedy songwriting.

This ranges from an IRON MAIDEN parody that’s decades too late to the punchline to chugging covers of MARKUS BECKER’s German novelty song Das Rote Pferd and VENGABOYS’ We’re Going To Tortuga which do little more than throw distorted guitars into already ridiculous novelty songs. Perhaps as a standalone release celebrating NANOWAR OF STEEL’s twenty year history this collection of bonus songs would’ve been a treat for longtime fans, however, stapled onto the end of a two hour live album these extra tracks just act as a reminder of how much the band have outworn their welcome.

If you’re not already a fan of NANOWAR OF STEEL from the beginning of XX Years Of Steel then go and listen to something else, this two and a half hour, thirty seven track slog is sure to put you off the Italian parody metal crew for life. While NANOWAR OF STEEL nail the power metal aesthetic and deliver a handful of solid riffs, their self-serving repetition drains every ounce of humour or joy from what should be a celebration of their history.

Rating: 3/10



XX Years Of Steel is out now via Napalm Records.

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