Hello Rock Stars!
I just realized a couple of weeks ago that it has been a hot minute since I posted some album reviews!
So, with the new year my goal was to do more album reviews, and man do I have some killer artist’s on this list today! Some of these Albums have already come out, and some are brand spanking new, but either way they deserve not to be slept on! In this article I focus on Artist Shah Brielle and bands Asylum of Ashes, Mutual, The Out There and Sonolith. Please go support all these crazy talented artists!
If you would like to be considered for a EP or Album review, or have any new music coming out please Contact Me! I would love to check out your music!
——-Vegas Music Scene.
Band: Asylum of Ashes
Album: “Bridge To Hell”
Release Date: August 14th, 2024.
Details:………Holy shit dude, the ride that Asylum of Ashes took me on, I mean, what is the best way to describe it? Their music starts with an interesting, creepy and enticing intro with “Ashes to Ashes”, but then after that, every track is just balls to the walls hardcore Deathcore metal from beginning to end. It’s like once those guitars and drums kick in they grab you by the fucking throat and say “Your not going anywhere!”. Sorry, if my review is not my normal one that I like to do, I’m still processing the amazing but intense trip of an album Asylum of Ashes put out (lol).
When I’m listening to albums, I just see where the emotion takes me, and this one definitely took me on one hell of a ride. With their intense gritty guitar, commanding drums and vocals that are raw, real and really stick with you, I think this album is a fun one. I think it’s a good evolution from their 2017 EP: “Cease the Plague of Despair”, which has some great moments, but I feel this new album is a great step in the right direction, they have definitely grown artistically, their musicianship is a strong one, all of them are incredibly solid and compliment each other wonderfully. If you want some music that is intense, raw, real and rocks, then I think this is gonna be a wild ride for you. I can’t wait to see where Asylum of Ashes takes us, but for now I’m going to just sit back and enjoy “Bridge to Hell”.
Standout songs: “Porcelain Hearts And Plagued Minds” and “Never Ending Terror”
For More information about Asylum of Ashes, Please visit their Instagram.
Band: Mutual
EP: “Permanent Flux”
Release Date: July 16th, 2024.
Details: From their Self Titled 2018 EP “Mutual” to their new EP “Permanent Flux” it’s interesting to see the evolution of their sound. They still have the consistency throughout all their music of that lo-fi alternative rock late 90’s / early 2000’s / Shoegaze vibe that I absolutely love that you hear in their 2021 Album as well, but you can definitely tell the maturity that they have in their new music with this 2024 release. I know it’s only 3 songs, which would be my only complaint, but I vibe with it so much that I wish it was longer! (lmao) “Waiting Room” is a wonderful introduction into the EP, it sets the right tone for what you are about to experience. Easing the listener in with it’s pulsating guitar and then just kicks off from there, sending you on a musical landscape, that plunges right into “Sink”, where I feel they really start to hit their stride. The drums really set the tone for “Sink”, it’s a great mid-tempo song that I feel shows lyrical growth of what the band can accomplish.
But the standout one for me is “Sitcom”. Honestly, this song has a lead single written all over it. I can see why they end the EP with it, It showcases beautifully the strengths of everyone in the band, really packing a awesome emotional punch that is just hard to describe and personally If they decide to make a full length album this should definitely be the lead single. Overall, I’m incredibly impressed not only with “Permanent Flux”, which is a great addition and natural evolution of Mutual as a band, but also by the diversity they have as a band in general. I cannot wait to see where else they can take us next, but I know it will be an amazing ride. 🙂
Standout Track: “Sitcom”
Listen to “Permanent Flux” Now on Spotify:
For More information about Mutual, please visit their Instagram.
Band: The Out There
Album: “Eighth Day Revolution”
Release Date: December 13th, 2024.
Details:The Out There takes us on a truly infectious upbeat Pop / Punk world of trying to figure out who you are in this world, working fun mundane jobs that we all hate (lol), while also trying to find love as well, which especially in this day and age is hard, but they pull off the struggle with some killer tracks Such as “The Reckoning” and “STOP/STAY”, putting it all out there, with commanding drums, gritty guitar and powerful vocals that keep you rocking out for days.
Most of the album has an upbeat vibe to it, even when they talk about some incredibly real moments, such as self reflection in “Love yourself” and staying true to yourself and fuck all the people who don’t understand you with the song “Wednesday”. They keep this album sharp, sweet and to the point. I feel what also needs to be acknowledged is how solid their musicianship is.
Every song pierces and gets the listener to stand up and Rock out, even with the beginning track, which quite literally I wasn’t expecting such a punch, but it was a great way to start this album. They work absolutely beautifully complimenting everyone’s strengths as a band, and I know that skill translates into their live shows as well, which I encourage you guys to go see them when you get a chance. All in all, I think this is a wonderful step in the right direction for their music, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these Pop / Punk dynamos.
Standout songs are: “The Reckoning”, “She Got A Way” and “Victim Of Circumstance”
For More information about The Out There, please visit their Instagram.
Band: Shah Brielle
Album: “MAKEDA”
Release Date: December 27th, 2024.
Details: Shah Brielle’s new Album “MAKEDA” takes me on a romantically tragic journey of love, relationships, hopefulness and some complex behavior that is hard to break, no matter how much you love the other person.Vocally she has an incredibly beautiful and smooth quality to her tone, with a wonderful vulnerability to what she is singing about, I can truly feel the emotion and pain in her voice but also the determination to persevere. I love her cool mid-tempo vibe with this album, every song perfectly transitions from track to track, there are no skips, which is impressive. (lol) I liked her singles from 2020 “Insecurity” and “Come Home” which I feel only scratched the surface of what an incredibly deep, complex and beautiful world Shah Brielle has.
Luckily she delves more lyrically and musically with “MAKEDA” into a magical landscape that I wish as the listener I could stay in forever. Starting off with the smooth R&B fusion beginning track “Issues” she keeps the momentum strong, a standout song for me right now is “Give Me Love”, everything about this track is magical. It’s beautiful production, vocals that are haunting and longing for someone to love, it’s just an exquisite song. Her music and world is truly a refreshing and intoxicating one. I can’t wait to see the next evolution of her as an artist. Thank you for such a heartfelt journey into your soul, it’s an amazing ride. I hope she always stays true to who she is as an artist, and just keeps coming back with more amazing chapters in an already rich musical life.
Standout songs are: “Body signs”, “Give Me Love” and “Makeda “
For More information about Shah Brielle please visit her on Instagram.
Band: Sonolith
Album: “III”
Release Date: October 4th, 2024.
Details:The interesting thing about music and Heavy Metal Band Sonolith, is that their music is a testimony to the fact you don’t need lyrics to tell an amazingly compelling story. Sonolith has called this album: “III tells a story in sound and symbolism of a fraught journey undertaken to escape the persecution of a psychotic tormentor, though the high peaks, and low troughs, towards eventually obtaining freedom and spiritual emancipation” (quote via their Bandcamp).
Which I can definitely feel that with their songs. This album seems to have darker undertones than from their previous 2019 album “Fire Thunder Wanderlust”. When I was listening to it, it gave me the sense of something ominous that was lurking, but also what both albums share however is how fucking hard they both Rock. Sonolith is really good at taking you on an emotional roller coaster of heavy and gritty guitar, with those sick drums that really make you wake the fuck up (lol). Their musicianship is pretty evident cause their technicality is so fucking good, and sometimes reminiscent of some of my favorite 70’s Heavy Metal bands. They are an incredibly solid and impressive band, you can tell they know their instruments and their music just oozes from every part of them, gripping the listener instantly and never letting go.
With Standout tracks like “To Brave The Desert Of Despair”, which takes me on wild musical ride with it’s pulsating guitar, drums that really set the tone for this whole experience, I felt myself just coming back to this song the most. Sometimes I find it hard to articulate how I feel about a song, but with “Despair”, it just makes me feel all the emotions; joy, sadness and euphoria. It just hits a certain way, and I hope when you listen to this track you get that same vibe as well. I really loved the 2019 album, but I feel this is a wonderful evolution of them as artists and it tells a very clear story that was really hard to stop listening too. I can’t wait to see what musical adventure they take me on next time, I just know it’s gonna be an experience like none other.
Standout songs are: “To Brave The Desert Of Despair”, “Divide et Impera” and “Midnight Flight”
For More information about Sonolith, please visit their Bandcamp.
Here’s a playlist of all the Albums and EP’s I just talked about if you wanna listen to them all together!
As always, support the local Las Vegas Music Scene! 🙂
——–Vegas Music Scene. xoxoxox