Mick Birchall Reviews

The stand-out band of this year for me has been a small independent southern-rock band from North Carolina called Old Heavy Hands . I found their album Small Fires and instantly fell in love with their sound and it’s been in my rotation a lot this year. Their distinct style drawn from many influences made for a fantastic listening experience. I went back and listened to their first two records and I loved them even more. I wanted to get to know them and take a look under the hood of one of my favourite records of 2024. ( read my full review here ) In this blog, I got to sit down with one half of the dual vocalists, Nate Hall , and talk to him about the new album, his influences, the band's origins and learning to find balance in a busy life. MB: So, this year we had the release of your third album Small Fires , which I completely fell in love with. So, what was the thought process going into this one after Mercy ? NH: Well, we had the time to just write and focus on the songs. So,...

Wow. I never thought we would be here again. A new Linkin Park album. Earlier this year we were introduced to the all new version of the band. Like many of you, I grew up on the original albums, Hybrid Theory , Meteora and Minutes To Midnight . I remember loving their music but I dropped off of them ultimately as I was introduced to more and more music that deviated me from that sound. So it’s been a good 10 years since I really listened to a full Linkin Park record and then with the tragic loss of lead singer, Chester Bennington, I thought that would be it. They were a legacy act and one that would remain as a shining beacon of nostalgia. So yeah, when Mike Shinoda announced that not only would the band be returning with a new line up, there would also be new music coming with it. I was apprehensive but excited all at the same time. The new lineup performing on the record consists of returning members: Shinoda, Dave Farrell, Brad Delson and Joe Hahn. However, this record would have ...

Recently, I discovered the wonderful music of Greek heavy metal titans InnerWish . I've really enjoyed discovering their music and loved their upcoming album, Ash Of Eternal Flame , so when the opportunity came to sit down with their drummer, Franki Samoilis , you better believe I jumped on it. In this interview, we talk about the new record, Franki's influences, and getting to work with Hansi Kürsch of the legendary Blind Guardian . Mick: So, this has been your first album since 2016, the self-titled one. How does it feel to have a new InnerWish album finally coming out? Franki: It's a relief. To finally have the new album out is a massive relief as we’ve been waiting for it for a while. It was supposed to be released in 2020. However, after COVID everything went downhill. In the end, we were very happy. It felt like a sign of good things to come. Maybe we wouldn't have been signed to Rising Phoenix Music if it had been released in 2020. So, with this timing and eve...