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Hard Rock Music Promotion & Blog

heaven // alone – Exonerate: Seductively Raw Post-Hardcore

heaven // alone

With their latest single, ‘Exonerate,’ Perth’s heavy alt-rock outfit heaven // alone unleashed an unrelenting surge of sound that dares listeners to remain passive. Note by note, the track’s opening builds an insurmountable wall of distortion, enveloping audiences in an alchemised atmosphere that seduces with the provocative pulse of Deftones and aches with the raw anguish of post-hardcore.

The dynamic shifts between moments of melodic reprieve and chaotic crescendos elevate the emotional stakes. Teasingly placed between the blast beats and guttural outpours of rancour, the melodic breaks strike like a brief gasp of air before the sonic onslaught resumes, resulting in a visceral vortex of sound that grips listeners in its intensity.

heaven // alone’s technical precision and compositional ingenuity ensure that ‘Exonerate’ is more than just a hard-hitting track; it’s an invitation to revel in the catharsis of their deeply emotive and impeccably honed sound. The dualistic construction places your emotions on a tightrope, suspended in the tension between euphoria and despair.

With each release, the band’s fanbase grows, and tracks like ‘Exonerate’ solidify their trajectory toward becoming Perth’s premier pioneers of alternative hard rock.

Exonerate will be available to stream on all major platforms from January 25th. Find your preferred way to listen and connect with the artist via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Detroit Trouble put the pedal to the speaker-pummelling metal in their hard rock hit, Hot in the D

Few hard rock outfits can pummel your speakers as viscerally as Motörhead, but Detroit Trouble has proved their juggernautical punches are just as blistering in their high-octane anthem, Hot in the D. Short of mainlining adrenaline, there are few other ways to get yourself so psyched. The momentum is unrelenting, and the infectious energy threaded through every progression ensures this rip-roaring ride transcends your favourite hard rock records from across the epochs with its polished rallying furore. .

Formed in 2015 by Kidd Lightning, Detroit Trouble are a trio who channel the grit of their blue-collar roots into every thunderous note. With Kirk “The Captain” Richter on bass and William “Wild Bill” Whats on drums, the band blends the emotional weight of blues greats like John Lee Hooker and Howlin’ Wolf with the searing edge of rock kings such as Van Halen.

On Hot in the D, their blues-rock roots shine through in the occasional melodic turns, but the pedal never lifts from the metal. With Kidd Lightning’s pornographic guitar solos and vocals that burn with raw fervour, the electricity is undeniable. If this track doesn’t spark something deep in your soul, you might want to check you’ve still got a pulse.

Detroit Trouble doesn’t just play for their fans; they embody them. The trio lives and breathes the working-class spirit, delivering music for Detroit and beyond that pulses with the heart of everyday grit.

Hot in the D is now available to stream across all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Master Splinter is ‘Unbound’ in the chaotic liberation of their latest alt-rock crusade

The shackles fall away in Master Splinter’s latest single, Unbound, a track that affirms their status as Portland’s ultimate emissaries of mind, body, and soul-melting sludgy stoner-rock chaos.

As a departure from their previous releases, Unbound is a lyrically abstract release which lets their signature blend of monolithic guitar riffs, dynamic basslines, and intricate percussion carry the spellbinding conversation while the lyrics breathe into the tempestuous mix as thematic abstractions.

It’s as unpredictable as it is entrancing—a visceral concoction that melds East-inspired mysticism with the raw intensity of Midwest grunge. Opening with opium-scented, hypnotic tones, Unbound evolves into an intricate vortex of progressive rock textures, ascending around grungy, Eddie Vedder-esque croons that carry enough smoky potency to leave you reeling.

The climactic moments are tightly controlled chaos, like a ship steered by an expert hand through a riot, reinforcing Master Splinter’s fearless approach to orchestrating dramatic vignettes.

Master Splinter’s unorthodox approach to hard rock strips away monocultural boundaries, crafting a sound that is equal parts primal and sophisticated. As the track crescendos, the constrictive tethers of typical genre constraints are shattered, leaving listeners adrift in an aural maelstrom, allowing Master Splinter to round out the year of faultless releases on a monumental note.

Unbound was unleashed on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify, on December 13.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lions Like Zebra riffed away complacency in their seminal rock-licked embodiment of the punk ethos, ‘Rise’

Lions Like Zebra—originally formed in Portugal in 2009—never simply coasted on tradition. After testing fresh sounds and ideas, they fused bold melodies with a stripped-back approach and a firm rhythmic backbone. Now, with their current line-up settled since 2024, including vocalist, composer, and guitarist João Pedroso alongside Sara Ângelo (rhythm guitar, vocals), Bruno Filipe (lead guitar, backing vocals), Tiago Mendes(bass), and Ruben Rodrigues (drums), they’ve forged a new legacy of raw sonic energy.

Their single Rise, taken from the decade-old seminal EP Lights Off, warrants rekindled attention for the way it scours rhythmic magnetism reminiscent of Queens of the Stone Age and injects the scuzzy grit of punk n roll. The percussion hits like fists in a riot, while the white-hot guitars screech through the atmospheric tension. In the verses, the vocals temper the intensity, holding it taut, only to erupt into a rallying cry during the choruses—urging listeners to rise above complacency and embrace a punk ethos that refuses to settle.

This is not a timeworn artefact—it’s an anthem of action, shaking off dust and lighting a fuse that still crackles with life.

Stream Rise with the rest of Lions Like Zebra’s EP, Lights Off, on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The devil is in the debauched detail of Too Late To Run’s seminal alt-rock hit, Diablo

Fake News by Too Late To Run

In their debut EP, Fake News, the outfit fated to become Sweden’s latest alt-rock powerhouse, Too Late To Run (TLTR), takes on the hypocrisy of world leaders and puppet news media with gritty distorted guitars and a subtle voice of sarcasm.

The standout single, Diablo, is a down-and-dirty cocktail of funk, scuzz, and playful punk panache that blasts past pastiche while harking back to acts like Eagles of Death Metal and Mike Patton, who avert cliché with their humorous and avant-garde spins on rock ‘n’ roll tropes. For a while, it has felt like rock has become a parody of itself—a trend perpetuated by artists with scarce awareness of how they’re weak effigies of their idols. But with Too Late To Run, you lock into the rolling rhythms and devil-may-care debauchery, instantly assured that every sonic sermon will leave you wanting to kneel at their eccentrically electric altar.

Born in the UK, songwriter, producer, lead vocalist, and band founder LEA says of the album, “Many people are feeling powerless right now, and these songs are the best way I know to get my own voice heard and try to make a difference.”

Diablo is now available to stream and download via Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Topdown – I Feel Everything: An Intense Alt-Rock Odyssey Through Empathetic Angst

Topdown’s eponymous debut LP is a hit-after-hit tour de rancorously evocative force, starting with the scathed opening salvo, I Feel Everything, which will make a bruisingly vindicating impact on anyone who knows how much of a curse empathy can be.

With frenetic frustration coursing through every hook-decorated progression of volition, I Feel Everything is a candid outpour of the desperation to chemically numb yourself to the weight of the world that bears down on the psyche as it conflates with introspective scars.

It’s impossible not to draw thematic comparisons to Dinosaur Jr’s ‘Feel the Pain’, but there is no refuting that Topdown are blazing their own trail through their eagerly anticipated LP which fuses the ferocity of post-hardcore, the emotive intensity of pop-punk and the aesthetics of 00s rock anthems.

I Feel Everything is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slanderus’ Cover of ‘Dream Warriors’ is A Melodic Maelstrom that Hits with No Mercy

With their latest single, Dream Warriors, the powerhouse Slanderus delivered an unrelenting tour de force that ensnares from the first post-punk-infused note. Channelling Echo and the Bunnymen atmospherics in the opening salvo, the Inland Empire quartet takes listeners down a dark path before unleashing a firestorm of overdriven guitars that shred with a no-mercy vigour. Each beat hits harder than the last, with rock harmonies tempering the relentless instrumental frenzy, dropping a melodic anchor amid the chaos.

With a clear reverence for 80s rock aesthetics, Slanderus nods to nostalgia in the DOKKEN cover of the single which featured on the Nightmare on Elm St 3 soundtrack while injecting contemporary volition into the classic riffs that rock fans have adored across the decades; the modernistic metal edge goes straight for the jugular.

With Jason J. Kennedy’s guitar solos capable of making your heart forget to beat, the electricity within Dream Warriors is enough to run a power grid. The synergy within the band is unstoppable, with JJ Gawrich on drums delivering melodic yet earth-shattering rhythms and bassist Mike Basquez bringing a heavy groove while Allen Alamillo’s lead vocals inject soul into a soaring pitch.

The award-winning outfit which has previously opened for Fear Factory is clearly only getting started in its bid to hold dominion over the alt-metal scene. Get behind them or get out of their way.

Dream Warriors was officially released on October 31st. Stream it on all major platforms via this link now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cutting Through Nostalgia: No Edits Ignite Modern Angst in ‘Faulty Intuition’

We All End Up The Same by No Edits

In their latest single, Faulty Intuition, the powerhouse, No Edits, pushes past the boundaries of Seattle’s alt-rock legacy to deliver a visceral post-hardcore anthem, sharp enough to pierce right through the psyche.

With angular riffs that feel more like sonic daggers, this track forges a path unburdened by any homage to the city’s signature sound. Instead, Faulty Intuition lands like a volatile fusion of influences, crafted with an almost calculated abandon that lets it flirt with post-hardcore dissonance while staying grounded in an alt-indie aesthetic.

As a freshly rechristened trio, No Edits—formerly known as Fixtures—make it clear they’re uninterested in nostalgia. They nod to a lineage of greats like Burning Airlines and These Arms Are Snakes, but the group’s energy leans into the future rather than mining the past. The jagged guitar lines and shifting time signatures evoke the genius of Porcupine Tree and the raw force of Alexisonfire, without feeling tethered to any one genre. This sonic experiment channels the modernistic intensity of Royal Blood, creating an angst-driven that straddles chaos and control.

Taken from their debut LP, We All End Up The Same, the track’s dynamic riffing, emotive vocals and blistering rhythm section are primed to resonate with fans who crave immediacy in alt-rock. Faulty Intuition slices through convention, capturing a modern, digitally distorted existential angst that’s less about reviving the past and more about reimagining rock’s present.

Faulty Intuition is now available to stream and purchase on Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

You Dirty Blue revived vintage blues rock with their renegade of a hit, Humming

‘Humming’ by You Dirty Blue thrashed into the blues rock scene with a rare ferocity that barrels through the annals of music history. This single reverberates with the raw, unrefined essence of 70s rock, encapsulated by fuzzy guitar riffs and raucous vocals that snarl with renegade charm. It’s a rhythmically infectious track that knocks polished modern rock productions off their pedestals and replaces them with something that resonates with the spirit of old-school rock.

You Dirty Blue, a powerhouse duo from Tamworth, have been igniting venues across the UK with their explosive live shows. Their music is steeped in the DIY ethos of grunge and blues, infused with a punchy punk twist that makes each performance unforgettable. Humming is a new chapter in the duo’s legacy with its heady rush of rock’s golden era aesthetics and modern ferocity. If you’ve been pining for the days of raw, unapologetic rock music, get your kicks that are guaranteed to leave a lasting mark.

Humming was officially released on November 1st; stream the single on SoundCloud now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Hopeless Romantics of Hard Rock, Electric Cherry, Cut Deep with Their Latest Single, Anyway You Want

Electric Cherry never fails to live up to their moniker, but with the sticky-sweet super-charged currents tearing through the renegade of a rock anthem, Anyway You Want, the Roman rock n roll powerhouse amped up their sound to the nth degree.

As a teaser of what is to come from their upcoming album, CHERRY HEART, the rhythmically salacious slice of high-octane scintillation hits it out of the hard rock park while simultaneously throwing back to the classic rock pioneers and synthesising cinematic white knuckle momentum into the riff-decorated earworm.

As far as ticking all the right hard rock boxes goes, Electric Cherry received full marks with Anyway You Want which narrates the death knell of a relationship as it becomes platonic, leaving bitter-sweet glimmers of hope for the future. The melodic hooks in the chorus vocals become razors to the soul when sharpened by the hopeless romanticism in the lyricism. There’s no getting out of this single unaffected once you hit play.

The official music video for Anyway You Want is now available to stream on YouTube.

Follow Electric Cherry on Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date with news of their upcoming LP, CHERRY HEART.

Review by Amelia Vandergast