Up Next: June
Life is but a Dream… – Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold released its 8th studio album on June 2nd, and it is certain to become a staple heavy metal album this summer.
Genre: Metal
Taste Test & Favorites
Seven years later, Avenged Sevenfold released the avant-garde progressive metal album Life is but a Dream, with themes of absurdism and nihilism at its core. They credit psychedelics like bufo (5-MeO-DMT) and artist Wes Lang as inspirations for their deathly themes and new sounds.
Wes Lang’s painting “Nobody” inspired track 3 on the album, which later created the album cover. The track is the pinnacle of the ideas tackled throughout the entire album, someone dealing with ego death and realizing empathy. It’s a buffet of men’s chronically late emotional developments. The album leans heavily into its absurdism at times, which is perhaps why some long-time fans have difficulty swallowing down the newest album.
Cosmic’s spacey guitars and ballad-like vocals are exactly what was expected with its title, and it sticks as the favorite of the album. It tells the story of a lover on their deathbed, comforting their partner that death can’t hold them apart forever. Heartwarming and pleasant to the ear the entire way through.
But Here We Are – Foo Fighters
The Foo Fighters tackle themes of grief with a haunting but optimistic album, released on June 2nd. It is their first since the death of their drummer, Taylor Hawkins.
Genre: Rock
Taste Test & Favorites
Dave Grohl had wanted to write an “insane prog-rock” follow-up to Medicine at Midnight since 2021. The album obviously works through the rage and sorrow that comes with grief and plays with themes of nativity and growth. Even the album cover resembles the stark expanse of the afterlife.
The stand-out song is ‘The Glass’, the epicenter of the album’s emotional journey through loss. It is a monumental stepping stone for the band and marks a moment in time, soundtracked by the nostalgic feel the Foo Fighters are so great at. For the average listener, though, the journey is a bit bland and forgettable. The harmonies are lacking throughout the entire album, with no specific songs driving the album forward.
The Show – Niall Horan
Niall’s third album was released on June 9th and is the Irish former boyband member’s finest work to date. Warm and retro, it is a summer album through and through.
Genre: Pop
Taste Test & Favorites
Songs like “Meltdown,” “The Show,” and “Science” show a supportive and optimistic take on mental illness and personal struggles. These are balanced out by songs like “On a Night Like Tonight,” “Must Be Love,” and “You Could Start A Cult,” and their sweet romance and longing, a lightheartedness that keeps you moving effortlessly through this album.
While the title song, “The Show,” is clearly the star of The Show, I could not keep “If You Leave Me” out of my head or off my playlists. Hopefully, the self-proclaimed music experts can look past their male ego for long enough to appreciate the former One Direction member’s newest album.
Space Heavy – King Krule
The stream-of-consciousness album was released on June 9th. It is their 4th mesmerizing and profound album.
Genre: Neo-Psychedelia
Taste Test & Favorites
Bursting at the seams with sludgy reverb and slick themes of longing, dreams, and separation. Sonically cavernous and dark, it is nostalgic and melancholic. You can feel and hear Marshall’s growth and maturity with its deadpan poeticism.
“Tortoise” shows a slow separation within a relationship while “Empty Stomach Space Cadet” references old imagery the band has used before of an astronaut with ties to themes of emotional optimism. The ties back to previous imagery and soundscapes highlight the differences as well. The album is undeniably inspired by his experiences with fatherhood.
In Times New Roman… – Queens of the Stone Age
The final album of a trilogy was released in June. With “the first to find something to express yourself, the second to expand your means of expression, and the third to summarize what you’ve learned along the way.”
Genre: Alt Rock
Taste Test & Favorites
Even the worst songs on this album rank above average. Homme has been through hell and back in the last few years, it may be why In Times New Roman... is the band’s heaviest and angriest sound yet. The album works with themes of nihilism and raw anger, making comparisons of modern-day America to the fall of the Roman Empire.
“Paper Machete” sets the tone with unsubtle lyrics about marriage and betrayal, but ultimately feels unfinished. “Made to Parade” sonically feels like Them Crooked Vultures, a supergroup with Queens of the Stone Age’s own Josh Homme, John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin, and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters.
PetroDragonic Apocalypse – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Released on June 16th with an alternate title, “Dawn of Eternal Night: An Annihilation of Planet Earth and the Merciless Damnation,” and described as a “yin and yang thang” on the band’s Twitter.
Genre: Metal
Taste Test & Favorites
The album follows the story of a witch coven’s pet Gila Monster, who transforms into a powerful dragon god whose flames ultimately turn Earth into a fiery wasteland. It tackles themes of destruction and rebirth, with references to climate change in “Motor Spirit” and “Supercell” and the consequent destruction in “Coverage” and “Flamethrower.” The final track, “Dawn of Eternal Night,” is a vinyl exclusive and features a narration of the story spanning the entire album.
Heavy metal buffet for the angsty gluttons, they nail thrash metal in an authentic and creative way. Some criticize it as ‘”too campy’” but I argue that there is no such as too much camp in thrash metal. Throughout the album, they hint at melodies and themes that reappear in later songs for a satisfying listen.