Quick question.  What is one thing that some current and past members of Cannibal Corpse have in common?  The answer is that some of those guys at one point played in Monstrosity.  While they're most known for featuring George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher before he went off to join Cannibal, he's not the only member to have played with Monstrosity, because both Pat O'Brien and Rob Barrett also had brief stints in the band as touring members at one point.  While they might not have achieved the same heights of bands like Cannibal, Deicide, Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death and others, they've managed to maintain a cult following, and have established their place as legends in death metal history.  Despite having gone through many lineup changes and adversity, Lee Harrison has kept this band alive through everything.  This is also the band's first album to feature Mark Van Erp on bass since Imperial Doom, and the first to feature Ed Webb on vocals and Matt Barnes on guitar.

When it comes to their studio records, they normally had four year gaps between releases, with an 11-year gap between Spiritual Apocalypse and The Passage Of Existence, and we are now here in 2026, six years since Passage, with their seventh album Screams From Beneath The Surface, a solid death metal feast.  It feels like it brings all the best elements of death metal, along with some melodic death metal and some prog mixed in there.  It makes you feel like you're listening to Amon Amarth, Death and Cannibal Corpse all in one.  The opener "Banished To The Skies" brings the prog and epic elements, creating a rather brooding mood with tremolo riffs that flow smoothly with consistent double-bass.  It's when we get to "The Colossal Rage" and "The Atrophied" that the speed kicks in.  Ed Webb's vocals are super brutal and have that pure caveman death metal tone that can raise any testosterone levels.  To me, he seems like a combination of Corpsegrinder and Glen Benton.

The production in particular is a standout element.  Handled by Jason Suecof, a man known for some of the best modern production for metal, there's a lot of clarity with every element being distinguishable.  Some tracks feel like an amalgamation of all the things the band tried to mix on this album, and "Fortunes Engraved In Blood" is a prime example of this.  The ending of the song has a nice groove that hits the spot.  If you pay attention, you can also find some odd time signatures placed expertly within the songs, adding to the prog flavour.  When we get to "The Dark Aura", we're greeted by a slow, doomy intro that casts us back to the feel of the opening track.  The track gives some pretty big black metal vibes, while "Veil Of Disillusion" closes out the record with another slamming round of brutality with blast beats and that death-thrash approach that Monstrosity is known for.

If there's one word to summarize Screams From Beneath The Surface, it's "solid".  It contains every element that death metal has built its reputation on, and with Monstrosity known for their technical abilities, they have the ability to make technicality have catchiness and flow to it; something that many technical bands don't have the ability to do.

The initial thrash explosion of the early 80s will always reign as one of the most special and influential and movements in all of metal.  That being said, it's always a special occasion when a band that was part of that initial movement releases a new record.  That being said, one of the frontrunners of the movement: Exodus, are releasing their twelfth album Goliath this year, and their first for Napalm Records.  In the five years since the release of the last album Persona Non Grata, the Bay Area boys have been touring like savages across the globe, only to announce the rather surprising parting of ways with Steve "Zetro" Souza in early 2025 and the return of Rob Dukes, making this the first album with Dukes in 16 years since Exhibit B: The Human Condition.  Given that the Dukes albums were some of the heaviest albums in the band's discography, there was a lot of excitement surrounding this release.

While Gary Holt will always remain as the band's principal songwriter and one of the all-time riff lords of thrash, Goliath features more songwriting contribution from all the other band members, with Lee Altus writing music for almost half the record, and with everyone (except Jack Gibson) contributing to the lyrics, opening up new possibilities for a band that's 40+ years into their career, and one that has firmly established themselves as one of the most brutal and unapologetically aggressive thrash bands.  On top of that, Rob Dukes unleashes one of his finest vocal performances in years, returning to some of the lower register roars that were more prominent on Shovel Headed Kill Machine, and adding some stuff we haven't heard him do before.

With "3111" kicking things off a slow Sabbath-esque build-up and slamming into one of the best riffs on the whole record that gives your senses a vicious beating, the graphic lyrics paint the gnarly picture of the violence of the Mexican drug cartels, while eerily enough has become a big talking point as of the last few weeks with the events happening down there.  The second half of the song almost feels like a tribute to Pantera with the riff resembling the "Psycho Holiday" riff, which of course makes for a cool rhythmic shift.  I do feel that the solo could've used some more spicing up though.  Whatever the first track lacked in the solo department is redeemed in "Hostis Humani Generis", a ruthless beast of a track with buzzsaw riffing that slices heads off clean like a steel blade serrated to perfection.  "Promise You This" brings a punk-tinged vibe, while "Beyond The Event Horizon" wins the award for best riff on the entire record, and "2 Minutes Hate" pulls back on speed while still retaining a headbangable paced.

Returning to the subject of new possibilities on an Exodus album at this point, some of the biggest standout moments include "The Changing Me", with its anthemic melodic chorus that includes some vocal harmonies, courtesy of Tom Hunting, who Gary has jokingly, yet truthfully, claimed is the "best singer in Exodus", and guest: Peter Tagtgren.  The title track is a mid-paced stomper and features Katie Jacoby bringing an element never heard on an Exodus record before: violin, and if that's not enough, "Violence Works" will make people really think Exodus lost their minds with it's funky and danceable grooves.  Even if you do end up thinking that, just watch yourself fail the attempts to sit still and start swaying your shoulders, or even shaking your ass if you dare.  All these new possibilities show that Exodus are more than willing to take some rather big steps to expand the sound in their 4th decade of dominance, while still retaining their thrash identity, and I as a fan welcome that with open arms.

A somewhat important component of the last bunch of Exodus records is a song that goes past 7 minutes, and we get that with "Summon Of The God Unknown", an 8-minute opus that almost feels like a tribute to "Rime Of The Ancient Mariner", and while there are some tempo changes, the rhythmic feel stays rather consistent as opposed to varied.  "The Dirtiest Of The Dozen" ends the album with the highest tempo on the entire album, and it gives Jack Gibson a moment in the spotlight with some bass leads.

Exodus have long already established themselves as one of the most consistent, brutal and reliable thrash bands in history.  For 45 years, they've bled confidence, but probably even more so now with Goliath.  This is a band that knows who they are, but show no fear in testing even their most stubborn and rage-induced fans that would rather stay in "rage" mode, with the incorporation of elements they haven't touched before.  Don't be expecting sequels to Bonded By Blood, Fabulous Disaster or Tempo Of The Damned, because those have all been done already, and now Exodus is at a point where they're ready to just have fun.  If metal is all about not giving a fuck, this is a band that embodies that spirit well.

It's still crazy to think that we've reached the point where many of the New Wave Of American Metal bands who broke in the 2000s are now 20-25 years into their careers, earning them the "legend" status now.  I remember first discovering bands like Trivium, Unearth, All That Remains, Shadows Fall and the focus of this review: Lamb Of God, and so on around 2006-2007, when I was just 14-15 years old, and when many of those bands were still just emerging, and they're all now 20+ years into their career.  Lamb Of God are definitely one of the oldest of the bunch, having released New American Gospel in 2000, and also their self-titled Burn The Priest record in 1999.  Arriving successfully at album #10 with Into Oblivion, the Virginia legends are as pissed off and confused at the world as they've ever been, just like we all are.

The rage about the state of the world is taken out in pure Lamb Of God fashion on the vicious opening title track, and according to Mark Morton, he took a lot of inspiration from Swedish bands when writing riffs for this record.  He and Willie Adler showcase their riffs prowess and create bludgeoning grooves and those signature breakdowns that are packed with swagger and blood.  The vibes of the old days are on strong display on "Parasocial Christ", which is one of the very few times on the record that we get a tasty Mark Morton solo, and "Sepsis", which brings a sludgy groove that pounds like a sledgehammer, and leads into a frenetic bridge with rapid-fire riffs reminiscent of Wrath.

Randy Blythe has never been one to shy away from showcasing his true feelings towards things, whether it's in his lyrics or social media posts.  He is a man of high intelligence and always educates while pulverizing you at the same time with his menacing signature growl.  His intelligence is all over the record, but "St. Catherine's Wheel" is a prime example of it where the lyrics use the Catherine Wheel torture device as a metaphor for an intense period of psychological and emotional torture, whereas "The Killing Floor" is a perfect analogy for the breakdown of the social contract going on in America at the moment.

Back in the mid-2010s, when the band released tracks like "Overlord" and "The Duke", I was honestly hoping we'd get more tracks where Randy brings out his clean voice more often, and on here, we get "El Vacio", a haunting crooner that even brings some Tool vibes, but still containing the growls in the chorus.  Cleans also make their presence known in "A Thousand Years", along with cowbell and even giving John Campbell an opportunity to shine on the bass.  All this shows that Lamb Of God are not afraid at this point to continue expanding their sound.  The band pay homage to their Richmond, Virginia roots on "Blunt Force Blues" by looking back and celebrating their early years playing in basements at house parties and watching local bands before they hit the big time; a terrific reminder to all those who make it, to always remember and be grateful for where you came from.

In the drum department, people are obviously still going to compare Art Cruz with Chris Adler, but it's gotten to the point now where he has fully established himself as a vital part of Lamb Of God with his third album with the band under his belt, and it's time for the comparisons to stop.  With 2026 marking 20 years since the release of Sacrament, Lamb Of God continue their reign as one of the leaders of the New Wave Of American Metal, with Into Oblivion being their angriest album in a long time.  It's guaranteed to make die-hard fans really happy, and piss off the detractors as always.

We have just entered 2026, which is a pretty significant year for metal, especially thrash, because it marks 40 years since thrash's peak year: 1986, when so many of the originators released their signature albums: Master Of Puppets, Peace Sells, Reign In Blood, Darkness Descends, The Force, Obsessed By Cruelty and Eternal Devastation, among several others.  One of the albums kicking off this significant year is Krushers Of The World, the sixteenth offering from Kreator, who will be celebrating 40 years this year since the release of Pleasure To Kill.  When they first signed with Nuclear Blast in 2012, they released the dominant one-two punch with Phantom Antichrist and Gods Of Violence, both of which showcased Kreator at their absolute peak.  Following Covid, they released Hate Uber Alles, which when I look back on it now, I felt that it was slightly more on the underwhelming side with sporadic bangers.  However, Krushers Of The World brings back the magic experienced on Phantom and Gods, and it's not because they brought back Jens Bogren to produce, but the songwriting feels stronger again.

The album sees the band continuing to bring the more epic sensibilities that they incorporated over their last bunch of releases, and it's on strong display on opening juggernaut "Seven Serpents".  As a songwriter, Mille Petrozza is always looking to incorporate some fresh elements while maintaining Kreator's core elements that made them one of the most important and respected thrash bands of all time.  "Satanic Anarchy" and the stomping title track see the use of some slightly lower guitar tunings than usual, with the latter using the lowest tuning they've ever used, while "Tranenpalast" brings back some of the gothic elements from some of the band's 90s albums, particularly Endorama, and Mille shares vocal duties with Britta Gortz of Hiraes, making for a deadly duet.

Reaching the mid-point of the album, here is where we get the lion's share of thrashers, like "Barbarian", "Blood Of Our Blood" and "Psychotic Imperator" unleash slick and brutal riffing from Mille and Sami Yli-Sirnio, which remains at the forefront of the album, much like with every album since Violent Revolution, while providing epic sing-along and fist-pumping moments in the choruses.  Even the backing gang vocals provided by Sami, and Frederic Leclercq give the songs that extra punch that will make the songs work like charms at a festival or in an arena.  At the same time, Ventor is still shredding the drum kit like a 20-year-old punk full of piss and vinegar.  Speaking of arena, there's no doubt that closer "Loyal To The Grave" will work the best in an arena because of its huge Iron Maiden vibes with the mid-paced galloping riff, and epic sing-along chorus.  With Mille reaching the higher vocal register in the chorus, you can't help but envision Bruce Dickinson being featured on the track.

I will say that it's getting harder and harder to find thrash albums that are perfect these days, whether it's from the old guard or the new school, so anytime you find one that's 100% perfect or very near to it, it's pretty special.  The last perfect Kreator album was Gods Of Violence.  While Hate Uber Alles took a slight dip, but Krushers Of The World puts them back on the track that Gods and Phantom Antichrist started.  It's not 100% perfect, but it's very close to it.  40+ years into their career, Kreator still have the pleasure to kill with krushing thrash metal that's still schooling the youngsters.

We've all heard the old saying a million times that nothing lasts forever, or that we all know the end is coming, we just don't know when.  Dave Mustaine is one of the definitions of not quitting, but he's had experience before of knowing when to stop when he had his infamous arm injury in the early 2000s that caused him to stop Megadeth the first time around.  After recovering, he was back in action, and hasn't stopped since then.  Not even cancer could stop the man.  However, it was revealed that another arm-related issue has been affecting his playing over the last little bit, and this was a clear sign for him that the day he really hangs up the guitar for good is in clear sight.  With that news came the announcement that Megadeth's seventeeth studio album would be their last one, and they would embark on their farewell tour.  Now, we've all seen the "farewell tour" movie many times where bands retract from the decision to retire in the middle of the tour, or go away for a few years, but then return, and most just become pure laughing stocks (yes, I'm looking at you, Motley Crue).

If you know you're going out on your last hurrah and you want to deliver one last offering before bowing out, then you want to deliver the goods.  There have been some incredible swansong albums over the years, and there have been some real stinkers.  For Megadeth, they really make a statement with their final offering.  Their self-titled final album brings a lot of the mid-tempo, melodic and laid-back feel of their 90s material like from Countdown To Extinction and Youthanasia, but for those of us that love the thrash, there's a good mixture of the speed and technicality from Peace Sells and Rust In Peace.  In many ways, the album will draw a lot of comparisons to Thirteen.  "Tipping Point" and "I Don't Care" set the table for what's to come with the former containing serrated riffs that slice through your speakers like a sharpened chef's knife, and the latter bringing much more of a punk vibe.  As juvenile as the lyrics and title may be, "Let There Be Shred" places Dave and Teemu Mantysaari at the forefront with their soloing acrobatics, which has defined many of Megadeth's signature moments.

The mid-paced groove is as much a strength in Megadeth's music as the frenzied thrash fireworks, and it's proven on "Puppet Parade" and "Another Bad Day", which bring vibes of "Symphony Of Destruction" and "Angry Again", while "Made To Kill" steps on the gas pedal bringing a furious round of speed with Dirk Verbeuren unleashes frenetic drumming locked in with James Lomenzo's thundering low-end on the bass.  "The Last Note" is perfectly placed at the end of the album with Dave reading what feels like his epitaph (pun intended), reminiscing about his life and career and how he has reached the end.  There's no doubt that many will fight to hold back tears with this song.

While "Last Note" is the last song on the official album, much focus has been placed on the bonus track: the cover of Metallica's "Ride The Lightning", which is no surprise.  People are obviously going to compare them, and favour the original version because it's embedded heavily into their memory, and it's no doubt added more fuel to the idiotic Metallica vs. Megadeth pissing contest that will never die between the fans unfortunately.  In a way, it's Dave's way of closing the circle and paying tribute to Lars and James in particular, but also to Kirk and Cliff, so he did it with a lot of class.

I'm still not convinced that Megadeth are truly gonna stay away, because I'm sure after they're done, if Dave is still alive and healthy, and his arm starts healing a bit and he wants to play again, I'm pretty sure Megadeth will do sporadic one-off festival shows, very much like what Slayer's doing now.  However, if this is truly the end for them, you can say that Dave has achieved the final goal he wanted since 1983, and that is to have a #1 album on Billboard, which is a win for him, the band, the fans and for metal in general.  As we start to bid farewell to another all-time legend, we are savouring every last bit of time with them.

It has been since 2019 that we've gotten some type of release from my favourite English melodic thrashers Savage Messiah.  If anyone has read any of my reviews of their last three studio releases, you'll already know how much of a fan I am of these guys and how much I've talked them up.  2019 was the last time we had gotten a studio album from them with Demons.  Since then, they've gone through a lot, including a few lineup changes, with the additions of Charly Carreton on drums and Carlos Alcalde De Lema on keyboards, and reuniting with Joff Bailey on guitar.  They played a handful of shows in support of the album when that all came to a grinding halt due to Covid.  While in lockdown, they were working on what would be their sixth studio album, however as of 2024, that seems to have been put on the back burner, mainly due to the fact that Dave Silver now lives in L.A, and Charly was diagnosed with cancer.  We all hope that Charly is doing good and is on the mend. 

In the last few years, since Charly's cancer diagnosis, things have been rather quiet in the Savage Messiah world with no updates on social media regarding the new album, future shows or anything.  This year, the band started teasing something, which we all thought would be the new album, but it turned out to be a live album.  During the Demons cycle, they played the biggest headline show of their career in Tokyo, and they've really showcased that accomplishment by posting some pro-shot live footage from the show to their socials, and are now releasing a live album of that show titled Down & Out In Tokyo.  Now, as I've mentioned in the past, I'm usually not that much of a fan of reviewing live albums, except the odd one here and there, but when Savage Messiah releases something after quite a while, it's worth giving my two cents on given how much of a fan I am of these guys.

The setlist for this album is an absolute doozy though.  A solid 16-song setlist that touches on just about every album, with the exception of Insurrection Rising.  I thought that at least the title track should've been included to make it a complete setlist.  Regardless though, we get a ton of tracks from their best album The Fateful Dark, like "Cross Of Babylon, "Iconocaust", "Hellblazer", "Live As One Already Dead" and "Scavengers Of Mercy".  Given that it was the Demons tour, we get a good amount of tracks from that album too like "Virtue Signal", "The Bitter Truth", "Under No Illusions", "The Lights Are Going Out" and "Down & Out".  They even managed to squeeze in a couple of tracks from Hands Of Fate, like the title track and "Blood Red Road", and one track from Plague Of Conscience: "The Mask Of Anarchy".  If you ask me, that's a pretty solid setlist, and it makes me wish I was there to witness it.

In a couple of conversations that I've had with Dave, he mentioned that the reason for the band not doing anything anymore is due to the current economics of the music industry, which shouldn't be all that surprisng, as the current state has caused a ton of bands to throw in the towel.  If he's burned out by the current state of the industry, I can't blame him one bit.  Even if this is the end for Savage Messiah, this is a great way to go out.  I certainly hope I'm wrong on that front, but I wish all the best for the boys in the band, especially Charly in hoping that he gets well.

I think we all remember the time we first heard Motley Crue.  For me, I was first exposed to them from an old VHS tape that my dad had where he had recorded a TV special on them, which showed a bunch of their music videos from Dr. Feelgood and Shout At The Devil.  I was probably 4-5 years old, and was just beginning my musical journey, but was already into rock.  At that time, the songs weren't grabbing me right away, but it was upon hearing "Dr. Feelgood" a few years later at age 8 that hit me like a freight train.  That huge opening riff was coming from none other than Mick Mars.  By that time, my brain had developed well enough to start getting into more crunchier stuff.  I grew to love Motley's music and still do to this day.  However, my respect for them currently has very much gone downwards as they have become one of the biggest laughing stocks of the music industry.  Nikki Sixx in particular is just continuing to drag this band through the mud and tarnishing a great legacy.  The best thing right now is to just remember Motley for the great band that they "used to be" with the classic tunes.

Mick Mars' health struggles with ankylosing spondylitis over the years have been well documented.  However, the man is truly made of steel because even with that strenuous condition, he still managed to continue making music, go out on stage and give 110% every night for over 40 years.  Even now in his 70s, he's not giving up.  After the whole split with Motley went down in 2022, things got uglier when the lawsuits started coming in, to which he ended up winning.  However, it split the camps with many fans siding with Mick over how he was wrongfully dismissed and treated by the band.  I've never been one to pick sides unless there's legitimacy to be presented, but with all the evidence that has come out recently, I'm obviously siding with Mick on the whole thing, and Motley is just continuing to dig their own grave.  Anyway, moving on.

Mick has been stating about plans for a solo album for the past decade when Motley was on their supposed farewell tour.  10 years later in 2024, his first solo effort The Other Side Of Mars has seen the light of day, and it shows Mick performing with tons of passion and unleashing sides of him that we haven't seen in Motley Crue.  His fiery riffs and monstrous tone take center stage, especially on tracks like "Loyal To The Lie", "Broken On The Inside" and "Ready To Roll".  Jacob Bunton does a terrific job in the vocal department on a large chunk of the album, while Brion Gamboa sings on two tracks.  

Some people might expect the record to be just a full-on metal attack, but given that the record is called The Other Side Of Mars, you need to prep for stuff that will surprise you.  For example, he brings in elements like keyboards and orchestral instruments.  We also get the soulful side of Mick, which can be heard on ballads like "Alone" and "Memories", and he also brings a bit of his love for blues on the closing instrumental track "LA Noir".  I have to say though that the best track on the whole record is "Right Side Of Wrong".  The riffing in this song is just monstrous and the vocal hooks are on point.  To me, it almost reminds me of a Pretty Maids track because the vocal styling is very akin to Ronnie Atkins.

While Motley Crue continues on to be the pathetic laughing stock that they've become, Mick Mars is smacking their asses hard with music that wipes the floor new material that Motley is putting out now.  There's no need to get into that mess.  He has proven that even at his age, he's still got plenty of fuel in the tank and we're already looking forward to the next offering which will only to continue to bury his former band further into the ground.  Take notes Nikki.

Having grown up with Nickelback since I was a little kid, I can say that I saw a good chunk of their evolution as opposed to the entire evolution.  I became a fan around Silver Side Up, but it was their Live @ Home DVD from 2002 that turned me into a fan.  Those were the days when the band were a pure crunchy hard rock band.  Over the years, the ballads and softer acoustic songs started to take a more prominent role in their catalog, with some of their ballads and softer songs containing more of a country flare.  Regardless of how you feel about a rock band dipping their toes into the world of country or just country music in general, there's bands that go that direction and it works out, while it flops for others.  For Nickelback, it's clearly worked, although they're still very much rooted in the hard rock world.

For further proof that they're integrated themselves more in the country world, they've been playing live at more and more country festivals in the last couple of years.  For the tour supporting the last album Get Rollin', they brought out Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross, two country artists who both have a rock edge to their music, and that type of rock-tinged country has been becoming bigger and bigger lately.  For further proof that the band have a big foot in the world of country, their latest live album was recorded in Nashville, the home of country music, and some of the cover songs performed in the set are country songs.

Given that this was recorded during the tour for Get Rollin', the setlist starts off with "San Quentin", and then it goes into a wide range of classics and setlist staples like "Savin' Me" (which features Chris Daughtry on guest vocals), "Far Away", "Animals", "Someday" and "Figured You Out".  I will say that it's nice to see "Worthy To Say" on the setlist because that was a song I jammed a lot to back in the early 2000s when I first became a fan.  Honestly, the fact that this is a live album doesn't really excite me.  If this was a live DVD, then it would be a bit more exciting, as it has been well over 15 years since we last had a live DVD from Nickelback.  I will say that the inclusion of 3 covers in the setlist is also a bit much if you ask me.  One cover is fine of course, but I think they could've swapped out two of those covers in favour of a couple more deep cuts.  The other covers include "Flower Shops", "Copperhead Road" and "Sold Out", and they also have Bailey Zimmerman, Ernest and Hardy coming out to guest on songs.  The production is also pretty clumsy.  It sounds rather sloppy than clean.

I've always been a fan of Nickelback and always will be, but I'm not too sure how I feel about them dipping further into the country world.  It's very much akin to when Bon Jovi reinvented themselves from the melodic hard rock band they were in the 80s to becoming much more of a lite-FM easy listening rock act in the mid-90s, and which they continue to be to this day.  Nickelback have also become a pure nostalgia act at this point as well.  While it's great that they're still putting out new music, when you go see them live, they have at least 10 mandatory songs that they have to play, and they're always pulling the same ones out every tour, which are "Photograph", "Savin' Me", "Far Away", "Animals" and "Rockstar", all of which are from All The Right Reasons, but they also bring out "How You Remind Me", "Someday", "Figured You Out", "Burn It To The Ground" and "Gotta Be Somebody", all of which are featured on this live album.  At this point, a new Nickelback album seems pointless because the majority of people going to see them live are going to hear all the hits, and they got more than enough songs to fill an entire setlist and people will still come.  They've joined the group of bands that could easily just tour on the old stuff for the rest of their days.

​Just when you thought that the end seemed to have arrived for the underrated Canadian legends in Harem Scarem, they returned this year with their first new album in five years.  Back in early 2020, the band released Change The World, and if I may add, an album with that title coming out when it did could not have been more apt, due to the fact that it was released on the on set of Covid, not knowing that the world was about to change at that very moment.  Anyway, enough of that moment in the past, because we're here to talk about the present moment.  During the time between the release of Change The World and the present moment, it seemed like the band was no more because there was hardly any activity being advertised on the band's social media.  However, this year saw them return in full force with their sixteenth studio album Chasing Euphoria, and if I may say so, I definitely think this one pushes Change The World off to the side by a long shot.

Right from the opening title track, we're met with a heap of memorable hooks and choruses.  This is undoubtedly one of the best tracks of the band's career, and for it to be the flagship song of the record is deserving.  We all know that this is the type of music that is designed to bring about positive vibes and lift spirits.  Speaking of which, the track "Gotta Keep Your Head Up" does exactly that, giving those going through tough times a reminder to always look ahead and keep a positive mindset.  I mean, Harry Hess' vocals have that ability, and combine that with the guitar magic of Pete Lesperance, you got some pure melodic rock magic.  That magic continues with tracks like "In A Bad Way", "Reliving History" and "Understand It All".  The only slow ballad we get on the album is "World On Fire".  It adds a nice dynamic on what is already a really driving and upbeat album.

The dynamic duo of Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance has always captivated me with how they work as both vocalists and as songwriters.  Their vocal harmonies propel them to the forefront of every song.  Even if not every song hits the mark, there's plenty to love here if you are a fan of big hooks and memorable songs.  After a pretty long gap between albums, Harem Scarem returned in a big way with one of 2025's most potent rock albums in Chasing Euphoria.

While it still seems like a new record is still in the distant future, the boys gave fans a little appetizer earlier this year with the new track "Sacred".  For the longest time, many fans have been begging the band to return to their old sound from Killing With A Smile up to Atlas.  While there's no way the band can go back to recreating something with the attitude they had when they were in their 20s, they can still manage to drop little hints of their past with their current sound.  Having graduated to the arena level, their current sound reflects that graduation with more straightforward song structures, more anthemic sing-alongs and heroic guitar riffs and melodies.  "Sacred" however manages to capture both the current and old Parkway sound all in 3.5 mins.  The verse has that fast-paced nu metal scatting vocal style that we heard on "Glitch" from Darker Still, while the big epic chorus feels right out of either Ire or Reverence, and will work in any arena or festival.

It's not until we get to the bridge where the old Parkway sound comes saying "Hello".  The breakdown comes kicking in like something straight out of Killing With A Smile, but it's after this first breakdown that we get hit with a second breakdown that's probably the nastiest breakdown the band have concocted in years.  It's one straight out of the Horizons era.  Parkway sure spoiled the old school fans there.  On top of all that, the production is still the top tier production that they've had over the last couple of records.  This may be the only new Parkway Drive song available right now, but if this is an indication of where they're heading with the next record, fans of all eras are in for a real treat.