Rob Moratti, Sovereign Review

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by Seamus Fitzpatrick With Sovereign, Rob Moratti delivers exactly what seasoned melodic rock fans hope for from a veteran artist working at full confidence. That is strong songs, big choruses, elite players, and a sound that embraces classic AOR values without apology. It’s not a reinvention, and it doesn’t pretend to be. Instead, Sovereign knows … Read more

The Pretty Reckless, For I Am Death Review

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by Semus Fitzpatrick The Pretty Reckless return after four years with “For I Am Death,” a three-and-a-half-minute adventure in modern hard-rock architecture. It’s a track that understands pacing, texture, and voltage. This song reminds us how much power exists between great songwriting and commanding singing. A dry, biting guitar riff opens the piece, its midrange … Read more

Mammoth, The End Review

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by Seamus Fitzpatrick Wolfgang Van Halen has made a career out of proving he is a unique force in the rock genre. With “The End,” his latest single under the Mammoth WVH banner, he again walks that tightrope with commanding presence. The track delivers an adrenaline-shot of hard rock, but what makes it stand out … Read more

Return to Dust, Speak Like the Dead Review

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by Seamus Fitzpatrick Return to Dust’s latest EP, Speak Like the Dead (Republic/LAVA), is a concise and deeply considered statement. Across six tracks, the band leans into muscular rhythm section interplay, evolving vocal textures, and guitar work that balances warmth, grit, and melodic textures. Produced by Jim Kaufman, the record highlights a young band thinking … Read more

Incite, Savage New Times Review

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by Seamus Fitzpatrick Incite’s Savage New Times arrives from a veteran thrash metal act carved out of two decades of endurance, setbacks, and sheer stubborn energy. Where earlier albums leaned on immediacy, this record has the sound that comes from the culmination of lessons absorbed on the road. The ten songs have a narrative forged … Read more

YUNGBLUD, Idols Review

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by Eliana Fermi To me, YUNGBLUD was light on definition, and he was loud without clarity, emotional without restraint, and his earlier music always felt like an aesthetic more than an idea. Most of what I heard was a collage of noise and eyeliner with no real shape. So when the singles for Idols started … Read more

Lilith Czar, POPSICLE Review

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by Eliana Fermi “POPSICLE” is Lilith Czar’s first independent release is a seething, genre-scorching exorcism of misogyny wrapped in industrial-tinged rock and weaponized electro-pop. It’s a scream from the edge of pop’s plastic fantasies, the kind where a woman is told to ride a frozen treat in a bikini to sell records. Czar answers by … Read more

A-Z, A2Z² Review

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By Seamus Fitzpatrick The sophomore album A2Z² from hard rock/prog-metal collective A-Z, released June 6, 2025, via Metal Blade Records, arrives with critical fanfare and deservedly so. Built around the core of Ray Alder (vocals) and Mark Zonder (drums), veterans of Fates Warning, it’s a record that showcases the band’s command of the genre and … Read more