Norse mythology has always been (to some extent at least) an inspiration to a lot of alternative metal acts to come out of Europe, Scandinavia more specifically, and thanks to the attention TV shows such as "Vikings" and the huge popularity of Marvel's THOR in recent movies has garnered, it seems there is no better time to discover some new Nordic noise. Most will already be familiar with the likes of TURISAS and AMON AMARTH, the former, in their fur and face paint flying the flag for battle-metal, if...that's still even a thing...the latter, laying waste along their way via long-boat with their viking inspired death-metal...however, if you really want to get a feel for it; let me introduce you to a band by the name of WARDRUNA. Formed in Bergen, Norway; the now duo (consisting of vocalist/instrumentalist Einar Selvik and vocalist/guitarist Lindy Fay Hella) fully embrace the rich heritage of this pre-Christian period of European history and have this year delivered album number three; "Runaljod - Ragnarok"...press play, do we prepare to pillage?

As we open with "Tyr"; quite literally god, a symbol of heroic glory...it becomes clear we aren't dealing with another rowdy band of marauders, but a duo with a real passion for their ancestry. The drums are simplistic but also sinister...coupled with the almost haunting chanting, the deep baritone style of the horns, it all sounds very ritualistic and sacrificial yet, noble at the same time...it's an interesting introduction.

"UruR" follows on and at ten minutes long, it's equal parts challenging and mildly hypnotic. It's meaning has been described using the passing of time (ironic given it's length) and also water, but it's apparent now that Wardruna are following a story. This album, like it's predecessors, is based on ancient runes and their meanings; Ragnarok itself for instance is a vastly significant event in the Nordic mythos, the death of gods, a new beginning and great floods...the track, long as it is, symbolises the nothingness of endless ocean in its repetition.

"Raido", an album highlight with more of a prominent vocal offering, coupled with more up-beat tempo and some gentle flute music derives from a term for travelling, and there is an old Norwegian poem that basically states riding is well and good for the warrior who is indoors, or who has a strong horse, but it is the horse that suffers, and it's poignant how in tune with the Earth, nature and the elements they were and again, tells a story of nobility, while "Odal", symbolic of the harvest and the inheritance of land through generations, speaks of tradition in viking culture.

On face value, it's easy to dismiss this record as, well, boring quite frankly. There's very little to differentiate the majority of the tracks on offer here; the drumming is pretty uniform, the chanting and other instrumentation although consistent and solid throughout, rarely strays from a formula, but it's when you look into the tale of Ragnarok, the meanings of the ancient runes and piece the story together it becomes a brilliant concept album from within your own imagination. Musically lacking life but creatively a work of art at the same time...if you like your music heavy, this is no Mjölnir, but it's an interesting and to some degree educational listen. [5]

According to statistics, there is a knife attack in the UK every 4 minutes...and fatal or not, that statistic is astounding. To help combat knife crime, Birmingham based rockers LED BY LANTERNS have joined forces with the "Surrender Your Knife" campaign, raising awareness with the brand new single "Save A Life". Featuring former members of MY FAVOURITE RUNNER UP, the song will appeal to fans of MALLORY KNOX and PARAMORE, but while upbeat, it carries a serious message and hopefully, they will encourage you to support this cause, and the victims of knife crime. If you would like to purchase the single for just £1, please download the MP3 via the link below.

The campaign is also calling for a knife amnesty, where people can hand-in their knives anonymously, without fear of repercussion, so that we can make our streets safer, and that we can try to encourage people to understand the dangers of knives and the ways knife crime affects its victims and their families...all knives collected will be made into a monument by sculptor Alfie Bradey, and you can sign a petition to see this sculpture displayed at Trafalgar Square below.

Anyone who follows heavy music will be familiar with 'scenes'...and one that's firmly been embedded in metal's culture and heritage is the Gothenburg scene. Yes this area of Sweden has produced some of the finest alternative metal artists to bless and/or blast our ear drums over the past twenty years or so, such as AT THE GATES and DARK TRANQUILITY,  but one of the biggest and consistent acts to come out of it all is IN FLAMES. Still going strong in 2016 we find them releasing their twelfth studio album; "Battles"...after the somewhat disappointingly tepid "Siren Charms", are In Flames fired up for this one? Let's get stuck in...

We Open up with "Drained" and really I hope this isn't a literal message from the band because if they can't be arsed from the get-go then this isn't going to go very well...luckily however, after an almost despairing intro with vocalist Anders Fridén declaring "what we had we threw away"...we're greeted with the bands familiar riff-work and core guitar sound that we've all come to recognise. It's got some crunch, but for the most part this is very easy on the ears, it's rich in melody, the guitar solo is slick and over all it's so very, smooth...

The same can be said about "The End", and while Anders' voice has it's trademark distinctive snarl, there is a lot of emphasis on his clean vocals this time around and there's even use of a choir dotted throughout the chorus here and in other tracks too and, here it becomes pretty clear that, we're not going to be getting the frenetic bludgeoning In Flames of old...album highlight "The Truth" is an incredibly catchy track; utilising synthesizers to great effect, blending subtle electronic elements effortlessly with their alternative metal sound. "Before I Fall", despite being a pleasant listen generally, sounds so...casual, while the title track in just short of three minutes, manages to sound as threatening as a bowl of jelly. Battles? A pillow fight perhaps...before the seven-minute "Wallflower" takes you on a decidedly mellow journey towards the end of the album.

First of all, don't get the wrong idea; "Battles" isn't a bad album by any means, there are some good songs on offer here, but this is where it may turn heads, or at least tilt heads in confusion...as this album, for want of a better description is a very well produced pop-record...it sounds incredibly polished and there is such little aggression here, old fans may be left feeling disappointed, but, it is a very accessible album and more importantly a very easy listen. In many ways its reminiscent of KORN's "See You On The Other Side" which was produced by the studio team behind Shakira and Britney Spears...and you take from that what you will... [7]

​It's funny how life unfolds sometimes...just a couple of short years ago, Texas' favourite good-humoured punk rockers BOWLING FOR SOUP said their goodbyes to the UK with a farewell tour and many thought that the end was nigh, but, as it happens, you can't keep a good band down. Not only have they recently been back over here supporting the hilariously sexy STEEL PANTHER for an arena tour, but they also have a brand new album recorded too! Their first proper release since 2013's fan-funded "Lunch. Drunk. Love"...entitled "Drunk Dynasty". Let's crack one open and see if we can keep up with the unofficial kings of party punk...

We open up with "She Used To Be Mine" and it's your typical up-tempo, light-hearted dose of punk driven pop-rock...a quaint little track about the sweet memories you may hold for a past love but delivered in the trademark tongue-in-cheek style BFS are renowned for; there's nothing overly romantic about this in the traditional pompous sense but lyrically it's real, it's a love song about regular people leading a normal life and that's where the sweetness lies, a quirky start.

Lead single "Hey Diane" again retains a positivity to both it's overall vibe and message; it's a real feel-good track and delivered with an innocence edging it closer to it's pop roots rather than feeling remotely punk, especially with it's key-changes and super smooth production but it's a pleasant listen, but,  "Go To Bed Mad" however shows a certain weakness that could trouble BFS and sadly, it's what made them popular in the first place; their humour. Lyrically it's pretty much cringe-worthy in places and you have to remember, this isn't 2002 anymore, they aren't the young bouncy rockers they once were and you'd think they would be done with singing anything about boobs...

It's not entirely tarnished however, as album highlight "Don't Be A Dick", despite it's title (and without me wanting to completely contradict myself) is a genuinely catchy piece of punk rock and musically it's easily the most energetic track on offer here and will please those looking for that more rock-based sound, while "Drinkin' Beer On A Sunday" ends the album very true to their Texan' heritage with a little country number, again, it's an incredibly positive song, touching even, and it ends the album on a surprisingly emotional note. Some people might suggest that BFS are going through a mid-life crisis but the truth is, they never really grew up...sure they can and do write less juvenile songs but they also never forget who they are. Sometimes as I've mentioned they can be cringe-worthy but its the childish qualities in their song writing that defines them as BFS and it really must be taken with a pinch of salt. Drink up and get another round in, we've got drunk to get...*hiccup* [6]

When you start off life in a band, naturally it's exciting, you are the fledgling rock star you always dreamed of being, your first gig, your first taste if you will; it's a rush to finally be living that dream...but dreams are soon swept aside by reality and the fact is, being in a band will take a lot of time, commitment, effort, stress...you name it. It's not easy, and often you sacrifice a lot to get that initial momentum going. Some bands play the hell out of their local scene and get old quickly, some drop an EP and tour relentlessly up and down the country supporting whoever will take them for exposure, but to drop not one but two EP's inside nine months? That's a statement of intent if ever there was one and it's exactly what Bedfordshire rockers SEASONS are doing in 2016. Their self titled debut only came out back in March but they already have a follow up by the name of "What Goes Around"...let's see what comes around.

We open up with "Empire" and right away we know this young band are not short of confidence. The sound is big. The riffs are solid, vocalist Grant Tuffs sings with an assertive tone, an authority if you will...he's got the mic, you listen, that's how it works, and the gang vocals provide a smooth harmony that just flows and it all blends together nicely, this is a good start. "When We Were Young" follows on and thankfully it's not an ADELE cover. The chorus again, sounding big but the song as a whole lacks bite compared to our opening track, which can sort-of be said for "Rewind And Replay", which does the opposite to have a generally weaker chorus but a really strong build-up and a great guitar sound courtesy of Matt Turbull and Steve Watts. It's a bit up and down...

It's elsewhere where this EP truly comes to life however...the clarity of purity of the vocals on "Last Words", especially the intro, give this track a real sense of drive, it's emotive, it's passionate and it's nothing short of impressive to find the guys writing at such a level so early on; this track has anthem written all over it and if you are a fan of YOUNG GUNS you will love this, before we finish up on "Fire" and they've really saved the best for last. It's an intense, angst-ridden flurry of rock...it's brief but oh it has bite and really ends things on a strong note. I mentioned Young Guns...but there are elements of YOU ME AT SIX, there are touches of MALLORY KNOX and I DIVIDE and that's seriously far from being a bad thing...all of the above can churn out hit after hit and that's exactly the sound these lads are tapping into, quite effortlessly too. They've taken everything good about their debut, polished it and have grown as a band already in the space of months; everything just sounds more confident and as a result they've instantly made themselves one's to watch over the next twelve months. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter...these seasons come and go, hopefully this one sticks around. [7]

Never mind DJ Piko-Taro and his bloody pens and pineapples and...whatever the fuck he's been smoking, pineapples DO go on pizza...there...I said it....and while we're on the topic of pizza, we may as well follow through this tedious link and talk pop-punk. Yes pop-punk is viewed in many ways...those into heavier music can look down upon it as juvenile, irritating even...some see it as a great means of introducing younger or newer listeners to more guitar driven music because of it's accessibility, and let's be honest, if done well, it works. No one can argue the success of say GREENDAY, BLINK 182, ALKALINE TRIO if you want something a bit darker ...hell I'll even go as far as saying BUSTED made it work for them too...and there's a theme here...three's. Yes for pop-punk three seems to be the magic number, so with that in mind, let me introduce to you DEAD FREQUENCY. Based in Northampton-shire, the three-piece (consisting of singer/guitarist Matti Fantasi, bassist James Bourne and drummer Sam Thorne) are gearing up to release their brand new EP "Tough Tracks And Setbacks"...have they faced adversity and as a result dropped the EP of the year? Let's find out...

​We begin with a track called "Nobody's Listening" and essentially what we've got are some bland, practically soulless gang vocals leading into some chirpy yet straightforward and arguably uninspired, basic pop-punk, it's your typical self-pitying, misery ridden affair but delivered in a kind of happy-go-lucky way. It lacks any real substance however and draws no emotional response from the listener whatsoever...if this song were an emoji it would be (-_-)...very appropriately titled. "The Devils Dream" is delivered at a slower tempo for the most part and the verses; predominantly bass-lead and sounding a touch darker in tone, serve the track more purpose but again, the issue here is that it's quite a flat listen. Some more promising guitar work with the cheeky solo but, vocally, generally dull.

"Time For Saying Sorry" is up next and personally I both agree and appreciate the apology. Ironically this is a more enjoyable song over-all, it's got key changes, the chorus is still simple but it's catchy at least and this sort of thing will mainly appeal to fans of [SPUNGE] for example, it's the most promising of the tracks offered up here, before we finish up on "Everything Will Be Alright", and funnily enough, it is. Namely because the song signals the end of the EP, and it's a shame because pop-punk is meant to cheer you up, it's meant to be both ballsy and bouncy, it's meant to be fun! But, honestly the urge for a repeat listen is non-existent, you'd have a better time listening to the likes of SON OF DORK...no wait...I'll say it...you'd find better quality tracks on a HANNAH MONTANA record and I say that without an ounce of sarcasm. If the frequency is dead please...just...end transmission. [2]