Have you been pining for the old-school roar of hardcore? Sure you have… so you’ll want to check out the new album from Soul Control. Culture moves in Cycles.

Attention, post-hardcore bands – Sights & Sounds may have found a way to make me like your music: just get Devin Townsend to produce it as well as Monolith.

Fife metalcore five-piece Here Lies A Warning sound like they’re a decent enough band, but the Keep Your Head Under The Water EP is massively overproduced.

Home-grown gothic power-metallers Pythia attempt to take on the Euro-titans with debut single “Sarah (Bury Her)”. Lackey – fetch my troubadors, forsooth!

Straight-up London rockers In The Black may not be doing anything new or inventive, but the Iota EP sees them belting out four driving infectious rock tunes.

Young Weegie post-hardcore popsters Flood of Red aren’t breaking the mould, but their music’s quality may still win them “A Place Before the End”.

You know how you’ve been looking for your good-time summer noise album of the year? Stop the search, you just found Monotonix. Where Were You When It Happened?

Jack Rose and the Black Twig Pickers play pure unsullied old-school Americana, with nary an ironic wink in sight. You might be surprised how much you like it.

The Most Powerful EP In The Universe!! goes to show that all the ironic self-hype in the universe can’t disguise the fundamental dullness of Dinosaur Pile-Up.

Youthful metalcore gang Evita have the fundamentals thoroughly sorted out, but debut album Minutes & Miles lacks the originality to really strike a spark.