andconham's Diary

Unfortunately peaks with the very first song, but there's still plenty to like about the rest of the album. It's a bit of a mash of styles ranging from Thrash and Nu Metal, to more South American traditional sounding music that I'm too uncultured to name. It works well for the most part, the the final 3 songs feel like they belong to a different album. Favourite Tracks: - Prophecy - Living Sacrifice - Mars - In The Meantime

Fun, tongue-in-cheek punk rock that is made to be enjoyed live. Saw them open for Tuenstile a couple of years ago and they were great! Here we have a quick collection of tunes with good energy, and pretty funny lyricism. Favourite Tracks: - 40 Riddiford Street - Bathsalts - 1 Outs Captain Cook - Pray for Prey

A lot of ambient tracks, with a handful of punk tunes scattered throughout. Nothing too standout out, but it all serves the movie well (the movie is great btw). I particularly enjoy the rendition of Nazi Punks Fuck Off. Favourite Tracks: - Prowling Leather - Nazi Punks, Fuck Off - Coronary - Sinister Purpose

Another fun punk album from Rancid here. The Ska influence keeps this bouncy, and there's some pretty catchy tunes. Some filler is present, but nothing outright bad. Favourite Tracks: - Fall Back Down - Red Hit Moon - Out of Control - Back Up Against the Wall

Not entirely my flavour. There's some alright moments here, usually when they slow it down and let the songs breath a little. Promise for sure, and I'll check out more of their output going forward, but thos didn't really do it for me. Favourite Tracks: - Alice - Seven Degrees

More thrash than their previous album, perhaps taking inspiration from other bands at the time. There is still some of that hardcore sound in there though, and it makes for a pretty kick ass sound. Great energy on this one. Favourite Tracks: - Death Camps - Days of Confusion - Fugitive - Age of Quarrel

A very self-aware and cheeky emo album, that is full of character. There's some bops here, but some of the lyrics are a bit to goofy for my taste. When showing a touch of restraint though, it sounds pretty good. Favourite Tracks: - Fine, Great - Rock Bottom - Your Graduation

Had no idea these guys had been around since 2010. This is a good taster of things to come for Kublai Khan, with the signature slamming riffs and raw vocal stull pummeling for it's short run time. Favourite Tracks: - Colour Code - Teeth - Retention

Listen based on an Instragram recommendation. Some 90s emo/post-punk here that is a little rough around the edges (understandable), but a good enough listen. Nothing I think I'll come back to all that much, but I appreciate finding these lesser known bands that fly under the radar. Favourite Tracks: - Friendly Fire - City of Recovery - New Year - Song Sung True

Sorry, where has this album been my whole life? Had previously heard only Hallelujah, and assumed the rest of the album would sound the same. Hallelujah is an incredible song, but a whole album sounded taxing so never got around to listening to the full thing. Now here I am in my 30s discovering potentially one of my favourite ever albums. The songwriting is great, the vocals both powerful and desperate. Instrumentally gripping, and I can't wait to learn some of these songs going forward. Great stuff. Favourite Tracks: - Grace - Last Goodbye - So Real - Hallelujah - Lover You Should Come Over - Forget Her

A great, vibey, introspective listen here. Doesn't stray too far from it's established sound, bit it rolls along quite nicely. I like Rashads mostly understated style of rapping, and the production is cloudy and nice. Favourite Tracks: - M.O.M - Same Shit - Boy In Red - Do I Look High - GTKY - Cameras

Late to the party with this one. Really a great pop album with great production throughout. Not all of it is my personal flavour, but every song has its place here. Great songwriting that varies from surface level, to introspective. Deserves the hype. Favourite Tracks: - Club classics - Sympathy is a knife - Von dutch - B2b - 365

The singles are great, catchy, pop-punk tunes. Even though I hate the hook from Self Esteem. Everything else is pretty filler though, and I find the vocals a bit grating throughout. Favourite Tracks: - Gotta Get Away - Cone Out and Play - Self Esteem (partially)

Social Distortion might be my favourite band that I have yet to rate above 6/10. I wouldn't call most of their music great or recommend it all that much, but it satisfies when I'm in a certain mood. Groovy pop punk here that sounds similar to their following two albums. Favourite Tracks: - It's The Law - Outlaw - Prison Bound - No Pain No Gain

Not much can be said about this album that hasn't already been said 1000 times. It's a classic that mostly holds up pretty well. This really was the last album of his that I enjoy though, and it's crazy to look back on his fall off because he really seemed untouchable at the time. Favourite Tracks: - White America - Cleanin Out My Closet - Sing For The Moment - Superman - Till I Collapse

Great punk album that hits a little closer tho the Gardore end of the spectrum. Instrumentally it's raw, and the in-your-face vocals are great. Easy add to my rotation. Favourite Tracks: - Fuck The Border - Back To The Motor League - Ladies Nite In Loserville - Purina Hall Of Fame

Dillinger's most accessible album in their discography here, pairing abrasive math-rock riffs with catchy hooks and chunky breakdowns. It's a combination that works well. Favourite Tracks: - When I Lost My Bet - One of Us is the Killer - Hero of the Societ Union - Paranoia Shields - Crossburner

Coming off the heels of Randy's prison stint, this album had great energy and plenty to say. This album sees LOG deviate from their formula more than previous albums had, which mostly worked out quite well. I also enjoyed the surprise features from two of my favourite vocalsts, Chino and Puciato. Favourite Tracks: - Still Echos - 512 - Overlord - Torches

I had low expectations based off other reviews, but I thought this was fine. It's pretty toothless and not likely anything I will return to, but it's okay for a one-off listen. I thought the run from Lights Go Out to Chica 305 was enjoyable.

Man it's a shame how hard these guys fell off, because their first two albums are genuinely great. Great modern blues rock, with great riffs, good vocals, and catchy songwriting. Favourite Tracks: - Lydia - Bath Salts - Mom - Bloodfeather - Claudeland

Starts quite strong, but fizzles a little towards the end. Still, pretty good 2000s pop punk here if that's what you're in the mood for. Nothing groundbreaking, but follows the formula quite well. Favourite Tracks: - Understatement - My Friends Over You - Head On Collision - It's Been A Summer - Forget My Name

A little disappointed in this one. The singles I already knew are great, but there's not much else for me here. A few bops, surrounded by generic alt rock full of cliches and a few terrible hooks. First half is worth a listen though. Favourite Tracks: - Bleed American - The Middle - Sweetness

Not ZHU's strongest effort here. The production and sound design is still great, but the songwriting is a bit uninspired for my taste. ZHU's lyrics have always been a bit average, but they feel at their worst here. Still a couple of bops though, and nothing outright bad. Favourite Tracks: - LEVELZZZ - 5STARRR

Laid back alt rock that comes and goes without leaving much of an impression. It's pleasant enough when it's playing but I don't think I'll come back to much here. Favourite Tracks: - Sex & Candy - Sherry Fraser

A pretty good return from Killswitch. Howard leaving likely would have killed any other band, but the boys persevered with original vocalist Jesse Leech. The riffs are strong as ever, and get the head bobbing throughout. Some of the lyrics are a bit melodramatic and cliche, but the delivery is strong. Favourite Tracks: - The New Awakening - In Due Time - Turning Point - No End In Sight

Pretty good punk album, that is a little too of-its-time for me. It's pretty fun, but not as brash as their contemporaries at the time so a little less memorable for me. Still worth a listen if you're after some old school punk. Favourite Tracks: - Neat Neat Neat - Born To Kill - Feel The Pain - New Rose

A more mature sound leads to some unmemorable tracks on this album. Nothing bad, of course, but doesn't contain that same juice as their earlier albums. There is still some great moments here, and obviously some of Blinks most popular songs so it's not all bad. Favourite Tracks: - Feeling This - I Miss You - Always - All Of This

A great singer-songwriter effort from Zach here, that is a bit more stripped back than much of his later albums. This album is all about the song writing, with most of these songs being relatable stories played out with minimal frills. Favourite Tracks: - Come As You Are - Heading South - Mine - Loom - Revival

I've always liked the singles of The Smiths, but never really delved much deeper. This is a great album, with a beautiful sound the whole way through. Songs flow well together, just needs a few more standout moments. Also thing the last song let the album down a touch. Favorite Tracks: - Reel Around The Fountain - Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Hand That Rocks The Cradle - This Charming Man* - Still Ill - What Difference Does It Make

Not my favourite Smiths album, even so this is still a great album and I understand the classic status. There's a couple tracks I'm not fond of, (Vicar, and Some Girls) but for the most part this is The Smiths operating ahead of their time and mostly delivering the croony, depressing goods. Favourite Tracks: - I Know It's Over - Bigmouth Strikes Again - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

Putting the 'trip' in Trip Hop, this album flows along so well. The production is great, and has aged so well. The vocals maybe a bit less so, particularly on the male side of things. The ethereal vocals from the woman however are timeless and these tracks are where this album shines. Favourite Tracks: - Angel - Teardrop - Black Milk - Mezzanine

Deftones best album since Koi No Yokan in my opinion. That great juxtaposition of heavy riffs and soft vocals still sounds as good as it ever did. Production is great. After a few more listens this grade might be bumped up a bit, great stuff. 19.04.2026 Edit - Having listened through this multiple times since it's release, I feel I can now bump that grade up. This really is one of the best albums they have release, and to do it this far into their career is nuts. Who would've predicted this kind of longevity. Unbelievably hyped for the gig next month. Favorite Tracks: - my mind is a mountain - locked club - ecdysis - infinite source - I think about you all the time - milk of the madonna - cut hands

A noticeable decline in quality from their previous two albums, but still features enough energy and charm to carry it. There are a few bops here for sure, a bit of filler too though that I won't feel the need to revisit. Favourite Tracks: - Liar - MakeDamnSure - Spin - Error: Operator

Solid pop punk throwback. This album feels like a bit of a time capsule, with a good sound and vibe. All songs here are at least decent, with a few standouts. Favorite Tracks: - You Know How I Do - Cute Without The 'E - There's No 'I' In Team - Ghost Man On Third - You're So Last Summer*

A decent but overlong pop-folk album. The songwriting and general vibe evoke some nostalgiac feelings, and it is quite catchy in parts. A bit of a lack of variety across the near hour long run time do cause it to drag a little. Favourite Tracks: - Northern Attitude - Stick Season - Come Over - Homesick

An excellent collab here between Trent Reznor and Boys Noize. Classic and lesser known track from the Nine Inch Nails catalogue are reporposed with dark, heavy, synth to create an awesome Industrial bass album. Wish I could've seen this set at Coachella, hopefully they do a world tour. Also here's hoping for some original music from this duo. Favourite Tracks: - Vessel - She's Gone Away - Heresy - Me, I'm Not - Closer - As Alive As You Need Me To Be

Electropop that is fun in parts but not entirely my flavour of music, though I can see the appeal. The production is well done, ranging from bedroom pop to hyper pop (almost). There is a bit of a lack in variety with the vocals though, as the verses blur together. Some catchy hooks though. Favourite Tracks: - PRETTY4U - NO LUCK - AMERICAN GIRL

Hits every pop punk cliche, but it's still catchy and enjoyable. Would put it in the upper tier of modern pop punk releases I have heard so far. Poppy guitars, melodramatic vocals, and catchy hooks throughout keep this humming along. Favourite Tracks: - The Grand Delusion - In Bloom - Wish You Were Here - Heavy Lies

A great, somber emo album here. The songwriting is pretty good, and it's all put together well. The vocals match the pained, desperate lyrics well. Great listen if you're in that kind of mood. Favourite Tracks: - Figure You Out - Sleep - How Does It Feel - The Night I Drive Alone - Speaking With a Ghost

I prefer this to their first album, but I still feel like I'm missing something with Interpol. Maybe you had to be there. Nothing really grabs my attention or makes me feel anything. Favourite Tracks: - Evil - C'mere

Another set of great tracks from Hot Mulligan here. Sways between Pop Punk and Hardcore so effortlessly and results in an album that's both catchy and abrasive. These guys are gast becoming my favourite modern emo band. Favourite Tracks: - It's a Family Movie She Hates Her Dad - This Song Is Called It's Called What It's Called - Christ Alive my Toe Dammit Hurts - Shhh Golf Is On - Smahccked My Head Awf

Has that classic Griselda sound that I enjoy, but I feel Gunn himself gets a bit overshadowed by his features her. Still and above average album, but not as instantly grabbing as other works. Favourite Tracks: - George Bondo - 327 - $500 Ounces

Chapman's warm voice carries you through this honest, peotic, still relevant album. The fact this album still holds relevance lyrically means she may have been a touch too optimistic, but I can't fault her for that. The songwriting here is great, with a couple of all-timer songs on this. Favourite Tracks: - Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution - Fast Car - Baby Can I Hold You - If Not Now

Usual Blink fare here. A few catchy pop punk tunes l, surrounded by filler. I would have rated this a bit higher if they trimmed the fat a bit. But as it stands it goes on a bit too long with the songs down the stretch feeling a bit samey. Also the skit at the end had me rolling my eyes. Favourite Tracks: - Voyeur - Dammit - Waggy

A tepid debut. First time hearing any songs off this album, as I've only ever really listened to their later hits. This was okay, but outside of a few songs there isn't much worth revisiting. Generally not as exciting or catchy as their later releases. Favorite Tracks: - Carousel - Time - Reebok Commercial - The Girl Next Door

A light, fun, poppy punk album from the masters of it. Blink comes through with another collection of catchy tunes about how hard it is to be a teenager, and it instantly transports me back to being a kid in the 2000s. Favourite Tracks: - Anthem Part 2 - First Date - The Rock Show - Stay Together for the Kids - Everything I Look For You

Great dark, cold rap performances here over great production. The grimy feel comes across well, and there's great features throughout. Only gripe is a lack of variety between songs, as it does begin to blend together a bit. Favourite Tracks: - Trump - Die on Xmas - Xxxtras - Bullet Club