Distorted Sound Magazine • 3rd October 2025

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 • 22nd September 2025

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 • 17th September 2025

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 • 9th September 2025

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 • 4th September 2025

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...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 25th August 2025

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 • 30th July 2025

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...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 29th June 2025

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 • 15th June 2025

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 • 4th June 2025

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 • 23rd May 2025

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 • 18th May 2025

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 • 27th April 2025

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 • 26th April 2025

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 • 10th April 2025

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 • 3rd April 2025

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...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 22nd March 2025

EP REVIEW: Winter - Halfway Home - Distorted Sound Magazine

Buckinghamshire five piece, HALFWAY HOME stare down the bleakness of depression on their new EP Winter. From the energetic passion of metalcore to the emotional roots of post-hardcore, HALFWAY HOME waver between the two in order to ensure that emotional catharsis strikes at the core of the EP. 

Winter opens with an audio clip set to a haunting piano, isolating ruminations on identity and despondency. Depression and anxiety fuel the early moments of Winter, with the opening track Solstice buildi...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 18th March 2025

Love Is Noise: Living in your own way - Distorted Sound Magazine

“I want LOVE IS NOISE to be the band for people where they can listen to us and it helps them in whatever way they need to be.” Cam Humphrey, vocalist and guitarist, is keen to create catharsis and connection through his music. LOVE IS NOISE burst into the alternative metal space, garnering comparisons to bands like DEFTONES. Yet on their debut album To live in a different way, they are keen to liberate themselves from expectations and foreground emotional connection.

Cam shares the vulnerabili...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 16th February 2025

ALBUM REVIEW: To live in a different way - Love Is Noise - Distorted Sound Magazine

On their debut album To live in a different way, LOVE IS NOISE tear down any risks of putting themselves in a box. They may have gained momentum within the alternative metal space, but on To live in a different way, LOVE IS NOISE utilise swooping cinematic soundscapes to carry you through shoegaze, alt-metal and post-hardcore influences. Each culminates at the album’s core: a listening experience rooted in embracing emotion in all of its different forms and intensities. 

Opening To live in a di...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 14th February 2025

EP REVIEW: You'll Know It Was Me - Church Tongue - Distorted Sound Magazine

Indianapolis’ CHURCH TONGUE are reintroducing themselves to the metalcore world on You’ll Know It Was Me, and do so with pummelling precision. Exploring love in its varying facets, You’ll Know It Was Me is as emotionally striking as it is sonically intense, ensuring a compelling and commanding experience of just what they are capable of. 

Opening track Heart Of Darkness is gnarly straight out of the gates. Pummelling drums and assaulting vocals hit immediately, with a gritty breakdown making it...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 14th February 2025

ALBUM REVIEW: Fire In Heaven - The Nightmares - Distorted Sound Magazine

Welsh noir pop band THE NIGHTMARES have a flair for the gothic, and their sophomore album Fire In Heaven is no exception. Casting their bewitching aesthetic across the album, synths are paired with ruminations on lost love, existentialism and anxiety, offering an other-worldy exploration of the human condition.  

Opening track Siren Song finds THE NIGHTMARES laying the benchmarks of Fire In Heaven out in the open. Celestial lyrics, synth melodies and upbeat indie pop beats all come out swinging...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 3rd February 2025

Top 10 Emerging Bands That Will Make Their Mark in 2025 - Distorted Sound Magazine

The alternative scene hasn’t been in such rude health in a while. Sure, there’s a big ol’ dose of nostalgia going round with anniversary tours, but that doesn’t mean bands are slacking from putting out fantastic, creative new work. This year, Ukrainian prog metallers JINJER will release their hotly-anticipated Duél, and we’ve also got the debut to look forward to from rising pagan metallers FORLORN. On top of that, there’s plenty of bands set to break out this year – here’s our picks for ten eme...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 3rd February 2025

Top 10 Emerging Bands That Will Make Their Mark in 2025 - Distorted Sound Magazine

The alternative scene hasn’t been in such rude health in a while. Sure, there’s a big ol’ dose of nostalgia going round with anniversary tours, but that doesn’t mean bands are slacking from putting out fantastic, creative new work. This year, Ukrainian prog metallers JINJER will release their hotly-anticipated Duél, and we’ve also got the debut to look forward to from rising pagan metallers FORLORN. On top of that, there’s plenty of bands set to break out this year – here’s our picks for ten eme...

Distorted Sound Magazine • 25th January 2025

HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: The Upsides - The Wonder Years - Distorted Sound Magazine

Released on January 26 2010, The Upsides saw a turning point for pop-punk’s THE WONDER YEARS. As their second studio album, this was a new approach to their music following 2007’s humour-led Get Stoked On It!. The Upsides, whilst not losing sight of playfulness, turned to vulnerability and saw THE WONDER YEARS release an and more mature outing that has since seen the album become their spiritual debut.

THE WONDER YEARS set out with their sophomore release to write an album about giving up. Init...