Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Now I See The Light is the comeback album from often-overlooked Japanese math rock pioneers Toe. As the title suggests, the blissful, meditative soundscapes offer listeners a refreshing perspective, providing the emotional grounding needed to view life through a renewed lens. Toe exemplifies modesty in their artistic expression. Their music, characterised by intricate instrumental subtleties, reflects a reserved demeanour, paralleling their minimalist online presence. Their focus remains solely on creating music, naturally attracting those who truly appreciate their craft. Discovering toe is thus a serendipitous experience. Blending elements of post-rock, pop, jazz, electronic and ambient genres, toe has crafted a sound that feels both seamless and cohesive. The album opens with '????', enveloping the listener in the warm embrace of intricate guitar harmonies, akin to a comforting reunion. The band's chemistry radiates through each hypnotic rhythm, reflecting their strong bond. Though primarily instrumental, tracks like 'Loneliness Will Shine' feature tender vocals from guitarist Yamazaki Hirokazu. His airy voice enhances the beautiful instrumentals, creating a captivating atmosphere reminiscent of Dredg's El Cielo. The placement of these vocal tracks within the album ensures a well-balanced pacing, making it feel neither purely instrumental nor vocal. The pristine audio quality of the album allows every detail to shine. '??????' exemplifies this, with carefully panned elements creating an amazing depth. Despite its clarity, the production maintains a human touch, avoiding sterility and instead feeling authentic. What stands out most about toe is the unwavering authenticity woven into their music. There are no gimmicks or over-the-top embellishments, just pure auditory bliss from beginning to end. After a nine-year hiatus, it's as if they seamlessly continued their musical journey, allowing us to experience the light they bring to the world. The CD includes a poster, adding an extra touch for fans.

Review: .During their live appearances - and especially ones captured for posterity by radio stations - Tool have often delivered surprisingly and unlikely cover versions. These, alongside a smattering of similarly eyebrow-raising duets and demos, form the basis of Absolute Ultra Rare, an unofficial compilation of obscurities that should be essential listening to fans. It sees the alt-metal and progressive metal heroes variously turn their hand to Pink Floyd (a surprisingly jangly take on 'Comfortably Numb'), Rage Against The Machine ('Know Your Enemy'), ska ('Wrong Way'), and Wings ('Silly Love Songs', which is turned into a moody growl). Throw in some heavy takes on their own tunes (see the opening rendition of 'Passenger') and you have a suitably epic collection of rarely heard tracks.

Review: The first album on Roadrunner Records to ever achieve Gold status in the US, 1993's Bloody Kisses marked the third full-length from alternative/industrial gothic metal legends Type O Negative. Featuring some of the band's most essential bangers like 'Christian Woman' and 'Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All)', while furthering their habit of contributing peculiar cover songs to their projects with an initially smutty re-imagined rendition of Seals & Crofts' track 'Summer Breeze' (which the band were forced to re-recorded and its revised lyrics discarded due to the writers' being disgusted with Peter Steele's "distasteful" interpolations), the work has since gone on to become regarded as the quintessential album which established the core sonic and aesthetic identity of Type O Negative. This expanded CD edition features Peter Steele's (at the time controversial) trimmed down digipack version with a plethora of bonus tracks and alternate takes.