Weekly Review Roundup: Monday 17th November 2025 – Friday 21st November 2025

From potent modern metalcore to punchy alternative heaviness, to potent emo rock, riffy groove and stoner head bangers, to dramatic post rock and anthemic power metal, we’ve reviewed some great releases this week, and here’s our weekly reminder of what was covered. All these releases are out now!

The Pretty Wild – zero.point.genesis (Sumerian Records)

They’re so damn cool, aren’t they? Like their music or loathe it, nobody can deny that their swagger is quite something and this album embodies that confidence.

I like The Pretty Wild and the more time I spent with this album, I more it grew on me. I don’t think there’s anything particularly game changing here, from a metalcore perspective, but damn it if it doesn’t deliver bundles of joy, intensity, and memorability. Eleven (or twelve if you get the bonus track) varied efforts that genre-bend in interesting ways. The Pretty Wild clearly wanted to show off their creative range here, and it does pay off.

Check out the full review here.

Edit The Tide – The Space Between Seconds (Self Released)

The Space Between Seconds is a genuinely impressive release that showcases Edit The Tide’s knack for blending heartfelt melody with punchy alt-metal heaviness. The vocals, both clean and harsh, are consistently strong, the musicianship is tight, and the songwriting flows with real confidence, variety and emotion. From polished hooks to heavier bursts of energy, the band balance accessibility with weight, delivering a sound that feels honest, well-crafted and full of personality. It’s a release that not only highlights their growth, but firmly marks them as a band worth paying serious attention to.

Check out the full review here.

Second Cities – Secrets (Self Released)

Take a freaking bow, Second Cities. A band that embodies what it means to grow. To compare what stands before us here, to what stood before us back in 2021 with ‘Out with the Old’, their debut EP, is startling. It’s like looking at two different bands, albeit one that took influence from the other, refined what they did, and then cranked the dial up in every single department.

Which is momentous. An album filled with giant, alternative, rocking, emotastic anthems that are dripping in emotion.

Check out the full review here.

Mage – Hymns for the Afterlife (Self Released)

Fifteen magical years, and showing no signs of slowing down, Mage return with an album that embodies their groove-rich sound. Featuring seven tight tracks that run the entire gambit of the band’s genre-defying ways, riffs and all. Oh, the riffs.

Check out the full review here.

The Halo Effect – We Are Shadows (Nuclear Blast Records)

Yes, this is a covers EP and while that isn’t normally the sort of thing I would bother reviewing, the fact that it comes from The Halo Effect, has them stepping out of their comfort zone, and feels like a love letter to the music they love, makes it more compelling.

Check out the full review here.

Bloodbound – Field of Swords (Napalm Records)

Eleven heavyweight efforts filled with horn throwing, head banging, chest beating, and sword raising sounds. It seems as though age and time isn’t denting Bloodbound’s impact as twenty years since they released their debut album, they’re sounding as potent as ever.

Check out the full review here.

Seven Blood – Life Is Just A Phase (Self Released)

Just when I think I’ve had my fill of alternative metal albums this year (it’s becoming one of the more oversaturated sub genres), along comes Seven Blood to remind me that when a band is as locked in and as on fire as they are here, I’ve always got room for one more. Seven Blood have arrived, and the world of alternative metal is all the better for it.

Check out the full review here.

Civil Service – DARK /// (A Cheery Wave / Ripcord Records)

/// LIGHT was one of my favourite albums of 2024, so it should come as no surprise that I approached this new Civil Service record with wide-eyed delight and then promptly fell into a deep depression following the first full listen. I am, of course, being hyperbolic, but that comes from the dark depths that Civil Service takes us to. The sound of despair, but a sobering experience because it is so starkly honest and because of that, so damn compelling.

I think Civil Service are one of the more evolved post rock bands out there, doing things with the genre few others can, but delivering familiar delights too, and nothing sums that up quite like this album. Their most eclectic and challenging work to date.

Check out the full review here.