I’m on record as being a huge Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor fan, but it’s hard not to acknowledge that the group’s last few records have either been formulaic or, in the case of Ghosts, different to the point of being occasionally uncomfortable. While Not the Actual Events is sometimes predictable, it often has a brashness and urgency to it that Reznor hasn’t had in a long time.

A quick listen to the alternately pulsing and attacking “Branches / Bones” reveals Reznor at his peak. “The Idea of You” is reminiscent of the angriest moments of With Teeth, but it goes beyond that and reminds me of The Downward Spiral’s most furious moments. And finally, “Burning Bright (Field on Fire)” mixes Black Sabbath-style ferocity with the curious meandering of “Right Where It Belongs” to create something that truly embodies a modern Reznor-ian sound.

Now we just have to wait for the actual event.

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On “Oh No” and “Man of the Moment”, Milbourn really lets it rip. Massive choruses, big hooks, and yes, crazed howling, dominate these songs. They’re fantastic.

On other tracks, like “Daisy” and “Darlin’”, the band’s tender side is revealed. “Daisy” sees them turn a quieter song into a giant anthem, and “Darlin’” sees them exploring a tender blues sound. The whole EP is pure rock and roll from start to finish. It’s refreshing to hear rock music this good.

In 2012, Goodbye June released their first record. They won a big-time award in 2014 that earned them attention at Interscope, where they signed earlier this year. This EP is their first since then, and like the sophomore album that will soon follow, it’s been purposefully focused on old-school, straight-forward rock and roll.

I could have told you that without reading the press release. Suffice it to say: they nailed it.

The title track, which is the last track on the EP, is a blues rock track with a massive chorus and a great hook. The songwriting is impeccable, too: There’s a huge, guitar-filled chorus that leads directly back into the verse, which gets more intricately layered the second time around. The song continually builds on itself.

Goodbye June knows what they’re doing here: this is intricate, quality songwriting. All the parts work together.

Danger in the Morning is one of the most promising EPs I’ve heard all year, and I’m looking forward to the eventual sophomore release (and major-label debut) from Goodbye June. If this EP is a sign of what’s to come, we’re all in for a treat.

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And undoubtedly, the band has learned from those experiences. Their aptly-titled sophomore album, Sittin’ Heavy, finds the brand tightening up their brand of rock ‘n’ roll. Their vocal harmonies are better, their riffs are more defined, and their musical vocabulary is broader.

Songs like For The People find the band experimenting with country-influenced tones, and the lead single Don’t Tell Me How To Live is carried by a massive, undoubtedly Alice-in-Chains-inspired riff. Things Get Better feels like bar-blues hard rock, a style they’d only flirted with on Furiosity.

And while the band certainly hasn’t quieted down, they’ve learned how to hold back for the sake of the song’s structures. Black Forest (a Zeppelin-influenced track if I’ve ever heard one), and Another Man’s Shoes (Alice again, particularly in the bass line), both experiment with pulling back on the rhythm guitar and giving the bass centre attention.

Most importantly though, Monster Truck is as confident as ever. That confidence sells the record and makes its raw energy palpable despite its glossy, near-perfect production. Monster Truck is aiming for the ceiling with Sittin’ Heavy, and they darn near blow it off.

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Normally, sharing that sort of information is unnecessary for an album review, but in the case of White Bear, that’s a little different. That’s because White Bear sounds shockingly like a stadium-ready Rolling Stones record. And that’s not a bad thing.

Unlike their first album, The Temperance Movement really dials up the distortion on this record and lets it rip. Almost every track is filled with some sort of gnarly guitar riff. The band sounds like a more sincere, definitely-more-earnest version of Airborne. And the blues rock sound is still intact.

More than once, the band reminded me of Aerosmith. When the band steps out of the post-party, coffee-ridden chorus of Oh Lorraine and digs into the verse, vocalist Phil Campbell sounds like a possessed Steven Tyler. The blues rock riffs that Aerosmith and Rolling Stones frequently shared are alive and well in Battle Lines.

The Temperance Movement is a little more, well, modern, than their throwbacks though. On Modern Massacre, the band lets lose into a tune that would have sounded positively other-worldly forty years ago.

For the record, though, it’s a lot more than the music that’s similar. The guitar tones sound so similar to some of The Temperance Movement’s idols that it’s practically chilling. Every instrument just sounds undeniably — perhaps unapologetically — British (which is awesome, by the way).

None of this is to say that The Temperance Movement sounds like nothing more than a copycat. At the very least, they’re an earnest and sincere band who have almost accidentally followed the same route as bands like Rolling Stones and AC/DC: They got their start playing small and dirty pubs and bars, and eventually landed on a stadium tour. And laid-back blues rock doesn’t work in stadiums; you have to play louder rock and roll. So this is a very natural step for the band; it’s a logical progression.

This is what separates The Temperance Movement from many of their retro-sounding peers. They have a respect for the musicians that came before, they love that music, and the similarities in sounds are all a product of the environment they’re in. In other words, they’re not trying to be throwback for the sake of a buck (unlike their colleagues). They’re just doing it naturally.

I only hope they don’t make us wait another three years for their next record.

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That makes Binge & Purge a time capsule of sorts: it’s the closest thing we have to real Best Of record from the group, and it’s the only great-sounding live recording we have left from this era of the band. (The next live recording Metallica released was S & M, a recording they made with a live symphony orchestra that unfortunately included too many of their post-Black Album songs for many fans’ likings.) This means that, as a great summation of what made early Metallica so great, Binge & Purge is essential.

It’s also, in retrospect, a sign of the reckless debauchery and cyclical addictions that the band members would experience throughout the next ten years before beginning the road to some of their recoveries during the recording of St. Anger. Frontman James Hetfield infamously throws a pint of beer on a well-meaning fan. The band disappears for fifteen minutes in the middle of a show, leaving hazed bassist James Newstead to play on his own until they return. (They call it a solo, but you just know they were backstage getting mid-show blowjobs from whatever women were around that night.) And while this drunken idiocy leads to some great laid-back moments, it also feels sad in retrospect.

Maybe I’m just getting old and missing the point though.

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Seriously, Fuzz is living up to their name here: this record is balls to the wall, all the time, without a break. And man, are the guitars ever fuzzy. This record ha so much fuzz that it sounds really bad on low-quality speakers. Seriously, put on your best pair of headphones for this. I know it sounds weird, but buried in all that fuzzy distortion is some amazing tone — particularly from the bass guitar. This is a gnarly record.

The biggest issue that Fuzz has is that they simply don’t know when to stop. Most stoner rock is filled with long songs, but these guys think they’re High On Fire or something. (Yes, I know, it’s a ridiculous band name if you don’t keep up with stoner metal, look them up.) Their songs are too long, and they’re all over the place.

At the same time, for what it is — a record you’re supposed to get high to — II is pretty much perfect. But it’s not a perfect record. Some of Fuzz’s contemporaries (like High on Fire or Mastodon) perfected this genre a long time ago. With II, Fuzz prove they can compete. But I think they can ace it and define the whole genre.

Go Fuzz. Stoked to hear what’s next.

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In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say this record is basically Rolling Stones, Oasis, and Black Keys having a lovechild together and calling it Royal Deluxe. That sounds like a weird sell, but what else would you call it when a bunch of guys who love blues-influenced rock’n’roll get together and just belt the first dozen tracks that come to mind? Because that’s what this sounds like.

The other thing about this record is that it’s insanely short. It’s less than half an hour and covers the same amount of ground most bands would take fifty minutes to cover. There’s choirs, big choruses, breakdowns, the whole nine yards, and Royal Deluxe cram it into a (deluxe) package that’s only twenty-five minutes long.

I’ve showed this record off a bit since I first listened to it, but I haven’t found anybody who dislikes it yet. Give it a spin. I think it’ll brighten your day.

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If you live under a rock or missed this record when it came out, Them Crooked Vultures is a supergroup consisting of John Paul Jones (from Led Zeppelin) on bass, Dave Grohl (of Nirvana/Foo Fighters) on drums, and Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss) taking care of vocals and rhythm guitar work. This was their first and (so far) only record.

What makes the record so special is its throwback vibes delivered with modern kerfuffle and sincerity. Top notch production means that John Paul Jones’ masterful bass work can actually be heard. Grohl pounds the drums like you’ve never heard him pound drums. Josh Homme is in top form. The band sounds like a Zeppelin-inspired Queens of the Stone Age most of the time, but that’s a great thing because it makes all these guys better.

Each of the songs is worth listening to, with nary a bad one in the record, but the best songs tend to be the long ones. Zeppelin was always at their best when they were free to write epic rockers, and the formula works here too. I can’t recommend this album enough; it’s one of my favourites.

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Most of the album is filled with songs that are either stupidly catchy like Meth Lab, or slower ballads like Step Outside. The standout tracks are admittedly the catchy rockers — the first four tracks are all great at this. The vocal riff in Blackjack Moon and the backbeat (and chorus) of Low Fuel Drug Run are particularly memorable.

My favourite slow song on the record is Mind of My Own. The album loses a little steam in its second half, not because it gets boring, but because this formula is better suited to slower records. That being said, the closing track, Let the 7Horse Run, is spectacular. So weird, so catchy, and ultimately one of the coolest vocal riffs and harmonies I’ve heard in years. Highly recommended.

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My expectations for Hesitation Marks were really high, and I’m actually very pleased. This is a Reznor who isn’t so filled with rage and self-loathing, and his music sounds more mature — but he hasn’t lost his sense of artistry.

Find My Way is as introspective as his best tracks were, and Copy of A has the same intensity as some of the best tracks off Slip or With Teeth. Come Back Haunted is dangerously sharp and dramatic, and will be sure to please old-time fans. All Time Low has that same old groove and bounce he’s familiar for, but is a good example of a track that isn’t as dark as it would have been in years gone by. I Would For You is fantastic, but it’s quickly toppled by In Two. While I’m Still Here is beyond impressive, playing with elements I never would have thought Reznor would have tried.

The album isn’t perfect, and some tracks are clearly flawed and lack the bite that vintage Nine Inch Nails carried. Reznor isn’t as angry as he used to be (and if he was, the record wouldn’t sound authentic at all). This isn’t the best Nine Inch Nails record, but who cares? We should just be glad he’s back.

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