Sammy Andrews

About Me

  York, UK based

Album Review Editor at Distorted Sound Magazine

Specialising in hardcore, emo, and indie reviews and features. 

Featured in Distorted Sound, Redbrick, Gigwise and The Unwritten. 

My Work

Distorted Sound Magazine •

Bloom: Chasing Lights - Distorted Sound Magazine

“When I’m listening to it, I could see myself seeing this as a kid and really enjoying this,” drummer Jack Van Vliet of BLOOM confesses, and strikes at the core of the Sydney melodic hardcore band’s earnest approach to nostalgia on their sophomore album, The Light We Chase. Vocalist Jono Hawkey and drummer Jack Van Vliet are only weeks away from the album’s release when we catch up with them to chat about their new album.

Nostalgia is the beating heart of the album, with opening track Belrose i...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

EP REVIEW: Ruin The Best Of Me - Holder - Distorted Sound Magazine

With only two songs, Ruin The Best Of Me spares no time demanding you pay attention to HOLDER. With their second EP, the Massachusetts post-hardcore outfit offer two tracks that push you through frenetic heights and soaringly visceral moments that echo out of 90s and 00s screamo scenes. It’s a blast of an old school approach to post-hardcore that’s inflicted with a keen sense of moving forward. 
Inconsolable is a fast hitting, intense run through HOLDER’s ability to balance their raw edges with...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

Distorted Sound's Top 20 Albums of 2025 - Distorted Sound Magazine

2025 has been a year that has, at times, felt utterly relentless. Once again, we’ve had a year of tremendous ups and downs, trials and tribulations to navigate in a ever-changing and challenging world. It may sound cliché, but there’s such solace to be found in music. And 2025 delivered. Across the entire ecosystem of alternative and heavy music, we’ve been spoilt with an abundance of quality albums. After much debate and discussions, here we go: our top 20 albums of 2025!

20. THE FUTURE IS HER...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Around The World And Back - State Champs - Distorted Sound Magazine

Following the success of their debut album The Finer Things, the spotlight was on STATE CHAMPS to see how they would follow it up. Poised as one of the new faces of the bustling pop-punk scene of the mid 2010s, STATE CHAMPS had something to prove with Around The World And Back, and 10 years later, it still stands as a crucial album for the band’s position in the world of pop-punk.

As its title alludes to, the album was written largely on the road, with the success of their debut album The Finer...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

EP REVIEW: Coalesce - Second Harbour - Distorted Sound Magazine

SECOND HARBOUR’s debut EP Coalesce is a deep dive into the end of the world, musing upon the reflections and affirmations that come with taking stock of your life. Moving between emo tinged melodies, post hardcore riffs and pop punk hooks, SECOND HARBOUR are laying out their influences, but truly find clarity in their own journey when they strike true at the EP’s emotional core. 

Opening track Relative hits at the EP’s emotional cords from the offset. Reckoning with a fractured family dynamic,...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: Faded Intentions - False Reality - Distorted Sound Magazine

On their debut album, Faded Intentions, London hardcore’s FALSE REALITY sound assured, confident, and invigorated about the direction they want to take hardcore. Fusing a tapestry of influences across 12 intensity ferocious tracks, FALSE REALITY present what feels like a manifesto for their vision of hardcore, and test the waters of what that sound could be for them.

Opening track Intro sets the score for the album, building from a dramatic and distorted audio sample to an assault of mean riffs...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: Don't Take Forever - The Maple State - Distorted Sound Magazine

On Don’t Take Forever, THE MAPLE STATE display what can be found in reconciliation. Coming back together as the band’s original lineup after disbanding in 2008, this album was 17 years in the making. Musing on loss, friendship, and passing time, Don’t Take Forever is exactly what you’d expect from an album that was brought from such an experience. 

The album meets THE MAPLE STATE where they left off, with their staple indie and emo sound charging through from the offset. On Zero Days Since Last...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: The Light We Chase - Bloom - Distorted Sound Magazine

Sydney metalcore outfit BLOOM are drawing upon their past for their sophomore album. The Light We Chase is fuelled by nostalgia, and in this space, the band delves into the emotional thread that come with the act of self-reflection. Sonically diving between varying and new facets of their melodic hardcore infused sound, BLOOM are keen to experiment, keeping a keen eye on how where they’ve been will determine where they will go. 

The album opens on the atmospheric and explosive Belrose, which in...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: From Now On - Beauty School - Distorted Sound Magazine

On From Now On, BEAUTY SCHOOL stake their claim as pop-punk heavyweights. With larger than life hooks and big choruses, From Now On meets BEAUTY SCHOOL where they are and at what they do best. Yet, as its title invites, theres also a glimpse that there could be more beneath the surface to come for the band. The album opens on the two part introduction of A Part Of Everything and Seeds For The Roses. The building crescendo of the first propels the album into the quintessential BEAUTY SCHOOL sound...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Life’s Not Out To Get You - Neck Deep - Distorted Sound Magazine

Life’s Not Out To Get You catapulted NECK DEEP into the forefront of the pop-punk scene in the 2010s – a position they have maintained to this day. The Welsh band redefined the optimism that could be behind the genre, and balanced earnestness with confrontation to create an album that still feels as impactful today as it did upon its release 10 years ago. 

Following the success of their first album, Wishful Thinking, the band left their day jobs to pursue music full time. The band, who had sign...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: Desertion - Spite House - Distorted Sound Magazine

On their sophomore album, Desertion, SPITE HOUSE delve deeper into tragedy. Infusing their post-hardcore sound with a 90s punk undercurrent, the band channel guitars and brutal lyricism into reflective musings on the events that have informed their lives up to this point. From the loss of frontman Max Lajoie’s parents, to anxieties and self-doubt, Desertion reopens old wounds and examines just how they can change a life over time. 

Opening track Ashen Grey propels you into the album with the dr...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Copacetic - Knuckle Puck - Distorted Sound Magazine

KNUCKLE PUCK’s debut album Copacetic resonates with fans as much today as it did upon its first release. By 2015, KNUCKLE PUCK had several EPs and a burgeoning fanbase under their belt, yet their debut saw them rocket to prominence in pop-punk and emo circles alike. Ten years since its release and its emotional core still strikes as true today. 

The group, made up of Joe Taylor, Nick Casasanto, Kevin Maida, Ryan Rumchaks and John Siorek, took to Always Be Genius recording studio from February t...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: No One Was Driving The Car - La Dispute - Distorted Sound Magazine

No One Was Driving The Car finds LA DISPUTE staring down existential dread with disillusionment at the modern world. The tumultuous aspects of modern society and the fear of losing control all come to a head, and their response is to offer a narrative journey through five acts. LA DISPUTE lean into the cinematic for this journey, taking the 2017 film First Reformed as a direct influence. Meandering images act as abstract metaphors for deeper anxieties, and offer a compelling spin on their signat...
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HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: All We Know Is Falling - Paramore - Distorted Sound Magazine

It seems almost impossible with their stature now to imagine PARAMORE as newcomers to the scene. But in 2005, the release of their debut album All We Know Is Falling saw the group working through more than growing pains to find their feet. 

Two years prior, vocalist Hayley Williams had signed with Atlantic as a solo singer, but knew she wanted to form a band. PARAMORE was formed with Williams, Jason Bynum, Josh Farro, Zac Farro and Jeremy Davis. As a group, the first track they wrote together w...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: From Under The Cork Tree - Fall Out Boy - Distorted Sound Magazine

When From Under The Cork Tree was released in 2005, it was a turning point, not only for FALL OUT BOY, but for the emo scene of the early 2000s. Lead single Sugar, We’re Goin Down skyrocketed to success, and FALL OUT BOY ushered emo into the mainstream. 20 years since its release it is still as influential as it was when it was first released, paving a way for a new generation of the scene.

The album came about as a part of FALL OUT BOY’s deal to release their first album Take This To Your Grav...
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ALBUM REVIEW: There’s Love In This World If You Want It - Higher Power - Distorted Sound Magazine

Approaching their sound with curiosity and the willingness to experiment, HIGHER POWER find wonder and weirdness on There’s Love In This World If You Want It. This eclecticism only further cements HIGHER POWER’s uniqueness, and pushes their sound into a new, and ever-evolving realm that is more colourful and more intriguing than ever before. 

Previously released single Absolute Bloom opens the album with a sun drenched, melodic punch. The hooks are catchy, and the track bolsters out to command...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The Woods - Sleater-Kinney - Distorted Sound Magazine

SLEATER-KINNEY were a decade into their career by the time they came to make The Woods. Keen to break away from the boxes their music had been put into, the three piece, made up of Carrie Brownstein, Corin Tucker and Janet Weiss, signed with Sub-Pop, with The Woods as their first release on the new label. They took to Cassadaga, New York, and enlisted the help of producer Dave Fridmann with the hopes to make something unexpected and bigger than they had before.

Fridmann, who had previously work...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Never Happy, Ever After - As It Is - Distorted Sound Magazine

AS IT IS have long become beloved in the UK pop-punk scene. The group’s debut album, Never Happy, Ever After saw them propelled to international significance, and championing the UK pop-punk scene of 2015. Ten years since its release, it is still as beloved as when it was first released, waving a flag for UK alternative music, and the fans that related to its emotional vulnerability.

AS IT IS formed in 2012, following vocalist Patty Walter’s post on JoinMyBand.co.uk. Andrew Westland and Patrick...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The Story So Far - The Story So Far - Distorted Sound Magazine

Three albums into their career, THE STORY SO FAR decided it was time to release a self-titled album. With it, the band moved to a more mature territory, pushing at the edges of the pop-punk box they had been put in with previous releases. Ten years later, their self-titled outing stands as an intriguing turning point for THE STORY SO FAR – a moment that marked the band attempting to define their sound, and a moment of exhaustion that spurred the trajectory of their career entirely. 

Part of cla...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: There's A Whole World Out There - Arm's Length - Distorted Sound Magazine

There’s A Whole World Out There finds ARM’S LENGTH creating the kind of gut-wrenching emo that they did brilliantly on their first album, Never Before Seen, Never Again Found, and pushing it further. This time around, ARM’S LENGTH are much more contemplative, finding the kind of profound reflections on insecurities, trauma, and identity that come with distance and retrospect. 

Opening track The World builds out of a gentle introduction to bolstering hooks and impassioned vocals. Propelled by th...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: Joyride The Pale Horse - Heart Attack Man - Distorted Sound Magazine

Joyride The Pale Horse may just be the most fully realised outing from Cleveland punks HEART ATTACK MAN. Weaving their signature penchant for tongue-in-cheek humour blended with deeply brutal reflections on intense subjects, the band turn to existentialism on Joyride The Pale Horse. Amongst the bleakness of the void, they look inwards, and sonically look to push at their roots. The result is an elevation and polishing of the HEART ATTACK MAN sound and creative approach.

One Last Song opens the...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: Never Happy, Ever After X - As It Is - Distorted Sound Magazine

Revisiting their debut album, on Never Happy, Ever After X, AS IT IS find clarity in celebration and reflection. Each track is re-recorded with collaborations from artists that AS IT IS have been inspired by, have toured with, and have influenced themselves. Never Happy, Ever After X stands as much as a walk down memory lane as a flying of the flag for a new generation of alternative and pop punk music. 

Speak Soft X featuring Kellin Quinn (SLEEPING WITH SIRENS) blasts out and immediately hits...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: American Candy - The Maine - Distorted Sound Magazine

When THE MAINE took to Joshua Tree, California to record their fifth studio album American Candy, they knew that they wanted to switch up their approach. Escaping to a remote house in the desert and working with producer Colby Wedgeworth again for the first time since Pioneer, THE MAINE shifted their sound and their outlook to the brighter, groove infused album that is American Candy. 

Released on March 31 2015, American Candy found THE MAINE taking stock and starting somewhat fresh. Welcoming...
Distorted Sound Magazine •

ALBUM REVIEW: Are We All Angels - Scowl - Distorted Sound Magazine

Are We All Angels meets SCOWL at a point of metamorphosis. Blooming from their hardcore roots, the album sees the group expand their scope. With a drive to delve deeper and use their voice, SCOWL weave through disillusionment, vulnerability, and loss of control, channeling their journey of self-discovery through hypnotic melodies and groove fuelled hooks. Are We All Angels finds SCOWL sharpening their pen, expanding the tapestry of influences they pull from, and ultimately asserting their voice...
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