Rec the Thing

I'm not going to tell you guys how many stouts down I am, because it's not actually very many but in my defence I'm on multiple different meds that you're not supposed to mix alcohol with. 🙃 

First, a little Iron Maiden deep dive! The Final Frontier was released in 2010 and usually hovers somewhere near the bottom of everyone's list of ranked Iron Maiden albums. But the other weekend I decided to give it my full attention in a dedicated listen-through, and - man, this band has genuinely never actually released a bad album, have they? The Final Frontier doesn't grab you the way some of their more popular albums do, but it has substance in a way that only really comes out if you pay full attention (and is so, so worth the effort when it does). It's a cinematic, semi-themed collection of songs about adventure and danger, about not knowing if you'll ever make it home, about not knowing whether home will really be there when you do make it back. Favourite songs are Mother of Mercy, Coming Home, Starblind and (#1 winner) The Talisman, but honestly, there's not a single miss on the whole tracklist.

Secondly, Black House by Secrets of the Moon is gorgeously moody, heavy goth rock by a black metal band that finally decided to stop will-they-won't-they-ing and straight-up cross the party floor. I really love the frontman's voice, and how the band's metal origins shine through so clearly in the sense of energy and urgency that infuses every track.

Finally, some singles! 1914 have released a new track, 1916 (The Südtirol Offensive), that hits so fucking hard, especially in the second half. The outro riff has been running through my head for DAYS now, I love it so much, holy shit. I'm extra glad I have this to savour, because the new Aephanemer single, La Règle du Jeu, isn't doing anything for me. There's nothing WRONG with it I don't think - it's just leaning hard on the parts of Aephanemer's style that I don't love and neglecting the parts that I do. Marion Bascoul, please don't go where I can't follow!